Uncapped Kamil Mishara and Sahan Arachchige from NCC have been included in Sri Lanka’s squad of 14 for the second Test against India starting at the SSC grounds on Sunday.
Mishara is likely to open the batting with another NCC team mate Lahiru Udara, while Arachchige may be the standby batsman in the squad with Pasindu Sooriyabandara expected to bat at number three in place of injured Dinesh Chandimal.
Sooriyabandara had a rather unfortunate entry into Test cricket when he was asked to bat in the second innings of the first Test at Galle coming in as concussion sub to Chandimal and was dismissed for a golden duck.
Mishara is expected to replace Nishan Madushka who has been out of sorts as a Test opener. Madushka’s contributions with the bat in his last six Test innings – 23, 2, 6, 20, 0 and 6 has forced the selectors’ hand to look for another opener. With Pathum Nissanka still unavailable for selection after undergoing surgery in his right wrist, Madushka who has previously opened for Sri Lanka in Tests was expected to fill that role. But unfortunately he has not been able to fulfil the task.
Mishara is primarily a white ball player especially in the T20 format and has been having an outstanding season. He celebrated his inclusion in the Test squad with a thundering knock of 145* off 72 balls for NCC in their Major Club T20 match against Bloomfield yesterday. That innings was an extension of the form he displayed for Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League where he accumulated 411 runs (avg. 51.37) at a strike rate of 165.
A free flowing left-hand batsman Mishara will have to curb his natural instincts when he buckles down to play Test cricket. He could take a leaf out of India’s Devdut Padikkal who transformed himself from a successful IPL cricketer to a Test batsman with scores of 167 and 44 in the Galle Test laying the foundation for India’s 165-run victory.
Mishara and Arachchige have represented Sri Lanka in both white ball formats (ODI and T20I).
Earlier, wicket-keeper/batsman Kusal Mendis was ruled out of the series following a hamstring injury he suffered during the LPL.
Ramesh Mendis and Dilshan Madushanka who were released from the squad of 16 named for the first Test to play in the ongoing domestic matches have not been retained in the 14 picked for the second Test. The rest of the squad remains unchanged.
Probable Squad: Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (Captain), Sonal Dinusha, Sahan Arachchige, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Prabath Jayasuriya, Keshara Nuwantha.