India Cricket team celebrated the 80th Independence Day of the country on Saturday by gathering in Galle to hoist the flag ahead of the opening Test against Sri Lanka. Captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir led the ceremony at the team hotel, with the full squad and support staff standing together as the national flag went up. This is a special occasion as it is set to be India’s 600th Test. They are the first Asian team and only the third overall after England and Australia to reach the landmark. The Indian captain described the occasion as a privilege and said that it is an honour of leading the country on both the 600th Test and the nation’s Independence Day.
Players and staff sang the national anthem after the flag was hoisted. The Board of Control for Cricket in India shared a video of this moment which has gone viral on social media. Earlier this morning, Indian captain Shubman Gill won the toss and chose to bat on a Galle pitch that is good for batting and will likely turn more as the match progresses. India have gone in with two pacers and three spinners for this match and this is a very crucial series for the visitors.
Yashasvi Jaiswal run-out in a bizarre fashion as India dealt with a big blow
India won the toss and opted to bat first and the surface was excellent for batting. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul started really well as the pair put on a fifty run partnership. Things were cruising for India before a brain fade moment which saw Jaiswal being run-out. The incident happened when Keshara Nuwantha bowled a flighted delivery on the stumps and Rahul drove it neatly towards mid-on. Nuwantha dived to stop the ball but could not prevent it from getting away. KL Rahul wanted the run but the Sri Lankan spinner collided with Jaiswal who was at the non-striker's end. The left hander lost his footing and ended up on the floor with both batters stranded at the non-striker end.
It was total chaos out in the middle and Sri Lanka picked up their first wicket as Jaiswal was run-out for 32. KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal have looked assured and India go into Lunch with just one wicket down. They will be looking to bat big in the first innings. This is a very important series for India as they are currently placed fifth in the WTC points table. They will need to win at least 7 out of the next nine matches in this cycle to have a chance of going to the Final. The second Test will be played on 23rd August.
