Handed an unexpected thrashing in the opening game, India would look to plug their loopholes and get their team combination right even as Sri Lanka eye a series winning farewell for their iconic batsman Kumar Sangakkara in the second cricket Test starting here on Thursday.

Middle-order batsman Dinesh Chandimal’s counter-attacking hundred was not the first of its kind, yet the team was unresponsive and didn’t have a plan C after their plans A and B failed.

While batting, they collapsed under pressure to quality spin bowling, just like they had done against the likes of Moeen Ali and Nathan Lyon on the English and Australian tours respectively.
In nine Tests on those two tours, Indian batsmen conceded 42 wickets to two spinners. With the addition of 15 more wickets in the Galle Test, it makes for a staggering 57 wickets to spinners in just 10 matches outside India (not counting the drawn Bangladesh Test).

The P Sara wicket is expected to have more bounce, but it will still support spin bowling, and as such the team management will be worried about the Lankan attack despite deflecting attention off India’s spin problems in the aftermath of the Galle Test.
It will put sharp focus on their selection. Yesterday, opener Murali Vijay batted comfortably in the nets. But more than that, he also played football, the team’s pre-practice warm-up ritual and it was the best indicator yet that his right hamstring is holding up just fine.