Sri Lanka will be without Kusal Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal for the second Test against India in Colombo, while Pathum Nissanka remains doubtful. The hosts could therefore be missing three of their regular batters in a must-win match after India secured a 165-run victory in the series opener in Galle.
Sri Lanka head coach Gary Kirsten confirmed that Mendis would miss the Colombo Test after sustaining a hamstring injury during the Lanka Premier League.
“Kusal Mendis has got a proper hamstring injury. He's not going to be available for a while,” Kirsten said following Sri Lanka’s defeat in Galle.
“Nissanka as well and Dinesh [Chandimal] are also not available for the next Test. So, we're missing a few guys from that perspective.”
Mendis’ absence had already been anticipated, with Niroshan Dickwella added to the Test squad as his replacement. Dickwella took advantage of the opportunity in Galle, making 80 in the first innings.
Nissanka is currently recovering from wrist surgery, while Chandimal sustained a neck and shoulder injury while fielding during the opening Test. Pasindu Sooriyabandara came in as Chandimal’s concussion substitute but was dismissed for a first-ball duck.
Sri Lanka now face a significant selection dilemma ahead of the second Test. They must win in Colombo to draw the two-match series after India took a 1-0 advantage in Galle.
Despite the defeat, Kirsten was pleased with the manner in which his players adapted to the demands of Test cricket. The loss to India was Sri Lanka’s second defeat in three Tests, following their innings-and-217-run loss to the West Indies in North Sound, Antigua, in June.
“I’m particularly excited by being involved with Sri Lankan cricket. I think there’s some great players here, but the team still needs to develop. It is sometimes tough when you don’t play Test match cricket to understand how you need to play that,” Kirsten said.
He added that the current series was only Sri Lanka’s third Test in a couple of months and that he could already see progress within the side.
“But we need to be able to turn it into a performance at some point. But as I said, we're kind of building that and developing that as best we can.”
Sri Lanka had slipped to 99 for five in their first innings in Galle but managed to fight their way back into the contest and take the match into the fifth day. Kirsten regarded that resilience as one of the positives from the defeat.
“From being 99 for 5 at the beginning of the third day, to then taking the Test match into the afternoon of the fifth day was particularly pleasing. There was a bit of fight and that we were keen to try and stay in the Test match,” he said.
Sri Lanka still believed they could force a result on the final morning, according to Kirsten.
“We still believed even this morning that we could make something happen, either win the Test match or certainly draw it. So, I was really pleased with the energy and the attitude of the team around that.”
However, he admitted that the team’s batting, particularly at the top of the order, had proved costly.
“But I think if you look at the Test match, we battled with the bat, especially in our top order, in both innings and that probably cost us.”
Kirsten also said the injury problems could provide opportunities for younger players waiting in the wings.
“So, we're missing a few guys from that perspective but it creates a great opportunity for young players to come in and stake their claim. In fact, players that have got really good first-class records in this country. So it's a good opportunity for them,” he said.
