From the incandescent natural beauty that Galle offered, Shubman Gill’s men have moved to the bustling metropolis that Colombo has always been. This multilingual city and a maritime junction, both for ancient and modern trade routes, was vital to Ceylon then and is equally critical to Sri Lanka now.
Leading 1-0 and stepping into the second Test commencing at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on Sunday (August 22, 2026), India holds the edge over Sri Lanka. The 165-run triumph at Galle will hold the visitors in good stead, a victory shaped by two young players — Devdutt Padikkal and Manav Suthar . In a batting unit that leant heavily on vice-captain K.L. Rahul and his Karnataka mate Padikkal, it is also time for Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Gill to join the party. Dhruv Jurel has done his bit in the middle-order and Rishabh Pant has been his robust self. For Sri Lanka, the fixture offers a chance to draw level in the series. Dinesh Chandimal, dealing with a concussion, will be missed in a batting order that is a touch short on experience. But the way Sonal Dinusha batted in the first Test, offered hope. At Galle, in the second innings, he was casually sitting on the side-wall, soaking in the sun, and awaiting his turn to bat. India: Shubman Gill (captain), K.L. Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain. Sri Lanka: Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis, Sahan Arachchige, Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella (wicket-keeper), Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Milan Rathnayaka, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando and Vishwa Fernando.