Dushmantha Chameera

Picture Credit: Twitter

The first Test ended on a bitter note for Sri Lanka as they were handed a massive defeat by India. Dimuth Karunaratne and his men could do nothing but perish to Indian bowlers as they got bundled out within 200 runs for two consecutive innings. While their batters struggled to stay at the crease, their bowlers were not that good either.

The pace trio of Suranga Lakmal, Vishwa Fernando, and Lahiru Kumara was expected to trouble the Indian batters, but they also failed to make a mark. While Fernando and Lakmal took two wickets, Kumara could only manage one. He also failed to stay for long in the middle as he pulled a hamstring injury. Although Kumara came in to bat in both innings, he looked in pain and was limping.

This means that he will not be available for the second Test and as reports suggest, Dushmantha Chameera is expected to take his place in the eleven. This will be a like-for-like change for Sri Lanka and would not alter their plans much. Both Chameera and Kumara are known to bowl at gun speed and hit the deck hard.

Sri Lanka to seek redemption

When the first Test between Sri Lanka and India was to start, Karunaratne looked confident about his team's chances. He was recalling Sri Lanka's heroic in South Africa three years ago and was hoping to repeat the same against India. But it did not happen and after facing such a massive defeat, the Sri Lanka captain was shattered. It reflected in his stuttered voice at the post-match presentation. However, he was still backing his teammates to redeem themselves.

Sri Lanka's batting standards have dipped very badly. There were times when opposition bowlers were made to sweat hard to get a wicket, thus putting a prize on every wicket. But this Sri Lanka team has very few such players. The dismissal of Niroshan Dickwella in the first innings was an example. As Karunaratne mentioned, the batters need to put their hands up and play long innings like their counterparts.