India great Sunil Gavaskar has warned the touring Indian side not to underestimate Sri Lanka ahead of the two-match Test series beginning on August 15, describing the hosts as a formidable team on their own soil.
“The two-match series in Sri Lanka won’t be easy, as Sri Lanka at home are a formidable team,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
He said winning both Tests would give India a strong start to the new Test season and valuable momentum in its World Test Championship campaign. Qualification would require significant effort and some luck, he added, but above all the team must hold to the belief that Indian cricket comes before any individual player, however big the name.
The WTC maths
India, led by Shubman Gill, sit fifth in the World Test Championship standings on a points percentage of 48.15, with four wins and four defeats from nine Tests. Sri Lanka are sixth on 41.67.
The series carries real weight in the table. A 2-0 win would lift India’s percentage to 57.58, though they would remain fifth. A 1-1 draw would leave them on 48.48. A 2-0 defeat would be a significant setback, dropping India to 39.39 while lifting Sri Lanka to 61.11 and into fourth place.
With India’s next two Test assignments against New Zealand and Australia, Gavaskar’s warning underlines that the visitors can ill afford to surrender points in Sri Lanka.
The first Test starts in Galle on August 15. Sri Lanka’s 16-member squad, named this week, features the return of wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella.
