India won the first Test at Galle by 165 runs and now travel to Colombo for the second Test scheduled from August 23 to 27, 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club. The victory has lifted India to fifth in the World Test Championship table, but the team faces selection decisions ahead of the second match.
Several players underperformed in the first Test, creating opportunities for changes in the playing XI. Yashasvi Jaiswal was run out early, while captain Shubman Gill lost his wickets cheaply. These struggles in the top order will influence India’s selection strategy for Colombo.
Here are the predicted XI for the second Test for India vs Sri Lanka:
Top order: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal
Indian opener KL Rahul scored 82 in India’s first innings and will be key to stabilising the top order. The No.3 batter Devdutt Padikkal impressed with 167 and 44 across both innings, demonstrating the form required on turning pitches. Padikkal’s consistency makes him a strong candidate to continue in the XI. But, the left-handed batter Yashasvi Jaiswal struggled in both innings giving away his wickets cheaply.
Middle order: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja
Indian captain Shubman Gill had a poor outing in both innings and will look to show his class in the second Test. The wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant struck 66 from 69 balls in the second innings, showing intent in the middle order. Dhruv Jurel scored one fifty in the first Test and will look to build on that performance. Ravindra Jadeja contributed 22 runs with the bat and took 4 wickets with the ball, proving his all-round value. He also reached 350 Test wickets and had the rare double of 4000+ runs and 350+ wickets.
Lower order/bowlers: Saransh Jain, Manav Suthar, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj
Manav Suthar took 4 for 76 and 6 for 55 in the first Test, claiming 10 wickets across both innings. His exceptional performance on the spin-friendly Galle wicket has made a strong case for his continued selection. Kuldeep Yadav bowled 25 overs in the first Test but took only 1 wicket for 103 runs and looked clueless on the spin-friendly wicket, making him vulnerable to replacement.
Saransh Jain is likely to make his debut in the second Test in Colombo, expected to replace Kuldeep Yadav. Prasidh Krishna took three wickets in the first Test and will be retained in the bowling attack. Mohammed Siraj took two wickets and provides experienced support to the pace bowling unit.
India’s predicted XI for the second Test:
KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (c), Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj.
