Unbeaten in their last six Tests
The buildup to this two-Test series has almost looked like Sri Lanka are here just to provide an opposition for Virat Kohli to play his 100th Test. They have slipped to No 7 in the ICC Test rankings, and they have never won a Test match India.
But the last time they were here, in late 2017, Sri Lanka drew two of the three Tests. They gave India a scare in the series opener at Eden Gardens, where they dismissed the hosts for 172 lead.
They are unbeaten in their previous six Tests, although those have come against West Indies and Bangladesh. Before that, they had lost four successive Tests to South Africa and England. While they have undeniable promise, as evidenced in the series win in South Africa in early 2019, competing consistently.
In Mohali and Bengaluru, they will be led by the veteran opener Dimuth Karunaratne. On a Colombo turner in 2017, the left-hander had struck a second-innings 141 in a six-hour effort against R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Young Pathum Nissanka brims with potential at No 3 with a first-class average of 63.47. Angelo Mathews, eight short of 100 Tests himself now, follows Nissanka in the middle order. Next is Dhananjaya de Silva, who has eight Test centuries, bowls useful off-spin, and had made 119 in 2017 to earn Sri Lanka a draw in Delhi from 35 for 4. Niroshan Dickwella brings chirp behind the stumps and spunk in front of them.
The bowling is led by the experienced seamer Suranga Lakmal in his farewell series, and has some serious pace. Lasith Embuldeniya and Praveen Jayawickrama are contrasting but prolific left-arm spinners who could be a handful if Mohali turns.
