India elect to bat against Sri Lanka in 1st Test, Padikkal and Kuldeep included

India won the toss and elected to bat first against Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle. Devdutt Padikkal and Kuldeep Yadav were included in India's XI, while Sri Lanka handed a Test debut to Keshara Nuwantha.

Galle: India have won the toss and elected to bat first against Sri Lanka in the first Test at the Galle International Cricket Stadium on Saturday. The encounter marks a milestone as the picturesque coastal venue plays host to its 50th Test match.

India is also playing its 600th Test match on the day the country marks its 80th Independence Day. After winning the toss, India confirmed that they have picked Devdutt Padikkal at number three in place of B Sai Sudharsan, with Ravindra Jadeja returning and teaming up with Kuldeep Yadav and Manav Suthar in the spin bowling department.

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“Looks like a good wicket and the weather also looks good, so hopefully it’s gonna be a good day of cricket for us. We’ve got five bowlers, two fast bowlers and three spinners. Very big honour for me, every time you get an opportunity to lead your country, and even more so special on this occasion. Independence Day for us and 600th Test match, so looking forward,” he said.

Sri Lanka have handed a debut to off-spin bowling all-rounder Keshara Nuwantha, who dismissed Gill, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant in the three-day warm-up game at the NCC Ground in Colombo. They have also included Nishan Madushka, who comes in for Pathum Nissanka, and Niroshan Dickwella will be the keeper in the absence of Kusal Mendis.

“It (pitch) looks good. I was hoping to bat as well. It’s quite dry as well. Two fast bowlers, two spinners, and two all-rounders, including me and Sonal Dinusha. To be part of this Test match, it’s an iconic ground, and I’m very happy to play this match as well,” said captain Dhananjaya de Silva.

Playing XIs:

India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna

Sri Lanka: Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, and Asitha Fernando.