Now, as they go in with changes in both those spots, if Devdutt Padikkal and Sarfaraz Khan play, Sri Lanka will be very much aware of where to hit India the hardest. Sri Lanka coach Gary Kirsten while remaining diplomatic in his answer, said that they have done their homework and will do their best to use that information. “I think we have done as much homework as we can to understand what are the potential areas that we can exploit in the Indian team as they would be doing of us. And we will use that information potentially to our advantage. The game needs to unfold. And then once it unfolds and we see what we are required to do, we will then kind of plan accordingly,” Kirsten said in a select media interaction facilitated by Sony Sports Network.
And the biggest threat, from India’s point of view, would be Prabath Jayasuriya. In the 11 matches he has played at Galle, the slow left-arm spinner has nine fifers and two ten-wicket hauls at an average of 26.62. He averages 24.7 against right-handers at home and it goes up to 35.9 against lefties and that is something India would want to exploit with Yasashvi Jaiswal, Padikkal, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja coming good.
However, Kirsten backs Jayasuriya to bring his best to the table. “He’s a world-class bowler, and he’s had great success at home. We believe that every bowler can make a contribution in a game. But it’s great to have him in the mix. But his focus will be on doing what he can do to help the team win,” said the Sri Lankan coach.
India bowling coach Morne Morkel felt having ten days before the Test match has allowed the batters to get used to the conditions in Sri Lanka and adapt accordingly. “I think the guys have learned a lot about their games individually over the last couple of months and that’s one of the reasons why we’ve come out here 10 days earlier to give them the best opportunity to prepare,” he told reporters on Thursday. “Now it is all about figuring out how they’re gonna score on the surface here,” Morkel said, referring to the Galle surface.
While only time will tell whether they could adapt and deliver against spin, Gill and Co will be hoping to put an end to their struggles and bring back batting glory. For, they need their batters to step up now more than ever.