India coach Gautam Gambhir has praised the team’s younger players ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka on Sunday.
India lead the two-match series 1-0 after a convincing 165-run victory in Galle. Another win in Colombo would strengthen their hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final.
Young batter Devdutt Padikkal played a major role in India’s opening victory.
Playing only his third Test, Padikkal scored 167 in the first innings and added 44 in the second.
Spinner Manav Suthar also impressed on his second Test appearance. He claimed 10 wickets during the match and played a key role in India’s dominant victory.
Gambhir Praises India’s Young Players
Gambhir said he was pleased to see younger players take their opportunities and make an immediate impact.
“Extremely satisfying to see these younger players getting an opportunity and them delivering straight away,” Gambhir told reporters.
However, the India coach warned against judging players too quickly.
He said the team still has plenty of work ahead and stressed that players need more than one or two strong performances to establish themselves.
“You can’t judge players by only one or two performances,” he said.
The comments come as India continue to rebuild their Test team.
India Going Through Test Transition
India remain the world’s top-ranked team in both ODIs and T20Is.
Their recent Test record, however, has been less convincing.
India lost a home Test series against South Africa last year. They also suffered a series defeat against New Zealand before that.
Gambhir said supporters should not be overly concerned about the results.
He described the team as being in a “transition in Tests” and said India have performed reasonably well over the past year.
The former India opener also argued that Test series should include three matches rather than only two.
Gambhir believes a three-Test series gives teams more opportunity to recover after a poor start.
Sri Lanka Consider Test Debut for Kamil Mishara
Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva said top-order batter Kamil Mishara could make his Test debut in Colombo.
Mishara bats left-handed and has already represented Sri Lanka in limited-overs cricket.
He has also produced strong performances in domestic first-class cricket in recent seasons.
Sri Lanka could turn to Mishara as they look to strengthen their batting lineup and level the series.
Sri Lanka Need Victory in Colombo
Sri Lanka face significant pressure ahead of the second Test.
The hosts lost their previous series in the West Indies 1-0 earlier this year. Another defeat against India would make their World Test Championship campaign even more difficult.
Sri Lanka need a strong performance in Colombo to keep their hopes alive.
“These are two evenly matched sides and we expect to put up a good performance in this Test,” Dhananjaya de Silva said.
India, meanwhile, will look to their emerging players to maintain their momentum and complete a series victory.
With Padikkal and Suthar already making strong contributions in Galle, Gambhir will hope the younger members of the squad can continue to deliver as India enter an important phase of their Test transition.
