India’s three-day tour match against a Sri Lanka Cricket XI began at the Nondescripts Cricket Club ground in Colombo on Friday, with the home side winning the toss and choosing to bat.
The fixture runs from August 7 to 9 and is India’s only match before the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle on August 15, making it the tourists’ single opportunity to face match conditions on the island.
The teams
Sonal Dinusha captains the Sri Lanka Cricket XI, a bowling all-rounder who has played one Test. The side includes wicketkeeper-batter Nishan Fernando, top-order batters Ravindu Rasantha, Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Pavan Rathnayake, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Anjala Bandara, Nipun Dhananjaya, off-spinning all-rounder Ramesh Mendis, Keshara Nuwantha and Isitha Wijesundara, who made his Test debut against the West Indies in July.
KL Rahul leads India in the tour match, with Test captain Shubman Gill playing as a top-order batter. The XI also features Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, left-arm spinner Manav Suthar and Mohammed Siraj.
Weather the main threat
Rain is forecast across all three days. The Economic Times reported a 90% chance of rain in Colombo on Friday morning with around 9.4 mm expected, cloud cover near 99%, visibility dropping to about 5 km, and a 70% chance of further rain in the afternoon.
That is consistent with the Department of Meteorology’s forecast for Friday, which put showers or thundershowers across the Western province, where Colombo sits, as the southwest monsoon continues.
Interruptions would cut into preparation India can ill afford to lose. Sri Lankan pitches typically favour spin, an area that has troubled India’s batting in recent Test assignments, and the warm-up was already shortened from four days to three before the tour began.
The two-Test series forms part of the 2025–2027 World Test Championship cycle, with the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo from August 23.
Sources: ESPNcricinfo, Economic Times.
