Under Gambhir, India have been a strong white-ball side, winning the Champions Trophy, Asia Cup and T20 World Cup. But their Test record has been a very different story.
Home series defeats against New Zealand and South Africa have hurt India’s World Test Championship hopes.
The run of poor results, followed by the exit of two assistant coaches and a fielding coach, has increased the need for a fresh start.
Gambhir is unlikely to be removed immediately if India fail to win in Sri Lanka. However, another disappointing series would certainly lead to discussions about the team’s red-ball direction.
India’s search for redemption will not be easy in Galle.
Sri Lanka have won 27 of the 49 Tests played at the venue since 1998. Much of their success has come through their spinners.
The hosts no longer have the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath, but Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis remain capable of making the most of Galle’s conditions.
Teams
India: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi, Sarfaraz Khan.
Sri Lanka: Dhananjaya De Silva (Captain), Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Kamindu Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Keshara Nuwantha, Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.
