INDIA'S TOUR OF SRI LANKA 2017

Hardik Pandya, Danushka Gunathilaka in line for debuts in Galle Test

by Vishaal Loganathan • Last updated on

Virat Kohli felt Pandya's inclusion will give the Indian line-up the much-needed balance. © Getty

Hardik Pandya could be in line for a Test debut when India take on hosts Sri Lanka in the opener of the three-Test series in Galle on Wednesday (July 26). The all-rounder has been a regular feature of the Indian limited overs' teams since January last year, and has been on the fringes of the Test team. He had been called up to the Test side for the series against England and Australia at home, but failed to get a game due to injuries. Now, the 23-year-old looks all set to become the 289th player to feature for India in Tests.

"We've got a guy like Hardik Pandya who is a wicket-taking bowler. Every game that he plays, on any surface, he has a knack of picking wickets. He has a great chance of playing as well. That gives us balance," Virat Kohli said during the pre-match press conference.

Pandya will slot in as the fifth bowler in the Indian side, while also giving the side a decent option with the bat lower down the order.

The last time India played the Sri Lankans at the same venue, India went in with five bowlers. The fifth bowler was hardly of much use to the team with Harbhajan Singh bowling only eight overs in the first innings, and Varun Aaron bowling seven in the second. The inclusion of Pandya will give India some batting cushion even if, in a similar scenario, he is not of much use with the ball.

"Very important," Kohli said when asked about the need to have multiple bowling options. "Also you need to understand, last time we felt in the first Test that we played here we probably were a batsman short and the fifth bowler didn't do much in the game. We have those options open as well."

Kohli also confirmed that Abhinav Mukund and Shikhar Dhawan will open the batting. KL Rahul had earlier been ruled out with high fever, leaving the side having to play a fresh opening pair in Dhawan and Mukund. India had used Cheteshwar Pujara as an opener for the third Test in Sri Lanka in 2015, but Kohli put his trust on the two specialist openers to do the job for his side.

"We only have two more openers. Rohit has never opened in Test cricket and we don't see that kind of experiment happening here because we have specialist openers in the team and they will obviously be starting this game. KL is down with flu unluckily but it is not serious and he will take a few days to recover from that. he is a very established player and he has done very well for us in all formats over the past year. he is a very solid player and these kind of scenarios present opportunities to other players in the team to step up and show what they are capable of. Have a solid performance and stay with the team for a longer period and get more chances to play in the future. So our players look at these scenarios as opportunities," he said.

Sri Lanka will also, most likely, feature Danushka Gunathilaka at number three for the Galle Test. The batsman has been in great form with the bat in the ODI series against Zimbabwe and also impressed in the practice game, scoring 74 for Sri Lanka President's XI. With Chandimal absent for the first Test, Gunathilaka will get his chance to prove his worth.

© Cricbuzz

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