Sri Lanka v/s India: Hardik Pandya makes Test debut
India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat in the first of the three-test series against hosts Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium on Wednesday.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya was handed a test debut by the tourists, who are determined to begin the series well at a ground where Sri Lanka prevailed over them in 2015.
“This time around we are starting off with a more solid combination, trusting our four strike bowlers to do the job and with Hardik Pandya stepping in,” Kohli said at the toss.
“He is a wicket-taker, he can make those breakthroughs for us,” the India captain said of the 23-year-old. “That gives us good balance in the side. We surely want to start well in this series which we could not do last time.”
Proud moment for young @hardikpandya7 as he is all set to make his Test debut #TeamIndia #SLvIND pic.twitter.com/YTGTzQ0Z4y
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 26, 2017
With regular opener Lokesh Rahul down with flu, Shikhar Dhawan and Abhinav Mukund will open the Indian innings.
“It looks like a pretty hard surface with good grass cover on it, should hold up nicely. Putting runs …read more
