Vulnerable India look to spoil Sangakkara's farewell

August 20-24, 2015
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)

The hashtags are out, and it wouldn't take too long for #SangaSignsOff to take over the online world much as his batting did the real one. The sheer weight of runs, his remarkable consistency and a never-ending thirst to get better deserves a bright and shiny spotlight. But let us not forget there is a Test match to win. A Test series to win. And if anything, Kumar Sangakkara himself will prefer to retire as a match-winner, holding the trophy aloft.

The signs towards that are strong. The P Sara Oval is a result-oriented venue - only four of the 18 matches played have been drawn - and Sri Lanka have won eight of them, including their last match here at the ground when they bundled Pakistan out for 138 in the first innings. If number nine happens, it might well be the most famous one of them all.

Not many players enjoy as much of a surge as Sangakkara has had in the final few years of his career. In 2014, at the age of 36, he scored the most runs he has ever made in a calendar year. In 2015, he scored his 11th double-century. Talk about retiring on a high. Sri Lanka will no doubt miss the comfort of having one of Test cricket's best sauntering in at No. 3. But the essence behind his success has been hard work and a desire to always keep up with international cricket, whether by changing his batting grip, or by facing millions of balls in the nets. That can be replicated by the willing.

The Indians, though, will want to sharpen their party-pooper skills. A lot. Their credibility against spin has been brought to question. Reasons range far and wide. Overeager against Moeen Ali and Nathan Lyon. Afraid against Rangana Herath. Unprepared as a result of domestic pitches becoming far less inclined to turn. But since immediate change is required, lest India careen to a seventh successive overseas Test series without a win, the onus is on the touring batsmen themselves.

Perhaps also on the Indian team management regarding the decision to bench a batsman to stick to their five-bowler plan. Stuart Binny, the seam-bowling allrounder, has been added to the Test squad and talks of his inclusion appear strong. He is a decent option in the lower-middle order, and a steady bowler when Virat Kohli needs things kept quiet. However, India will want to make sure that the match doesn't hinge on the batting exploits of a No. 7 but rather from one or two of the top order.

(last five matches, most recent first)

 Sri Lanka: WLWLL
India: LDDDL

At a time when India are scrambling for batting solidity, M Vijay slotting back in at the top of the order can be a game-changer. He has shown his hunger for runs -1082 runs in 12 matches since January 2014 - and he has faced 2340 balls in that time, the most by an Indian. His judgment outside the off stump has been a striking feature of his success, and he is one of those nimble-footed players, who move late and are capable of dominating spin.

Sri Lanka have had their issues with the opening combination as well recently. Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva have shown more than enough ability to be persisted with, but they will want to put in a better performance considering the occasion. No Sri Lankan will want to be remembered as a failure in a match that carries such significance.

Shikhar Dhawan's injury has taken a form batsman away from India. But luckily for them, M Vijay, appears to have recovered quite nicely. He netted well yesterday and could well reclaim his opening slot in Colombo. Besides that, there might be a chance Binny gets a look-in, perhaps at the cost of Harbhajan Singh. Then there is the Rohit Sharma v Cheteshwar Pujara debate.

India (probable) 1 M Vijay, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Rohit Sharma/ Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 R Ashwin, 8 Harbhajan Singh/ Stuart Binny, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Varun Aaron

Fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep has a hamstring problem and could be forced out of the XI. The Sri Lankan team has back ups in the form of Dushmantha Chameera, who has been called as the country's quickest, and left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando.

Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Kaushal Silva, 3 Lahiru Thirimanne, 4 Kumar Sangakkara, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Jehan Mubarak, 7 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 8 Dhammika Prasad, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Tharindu Kaushal, 11 Dushmantha Chameera/ Vishwa Fernando

The P Sara Oval is traditionally the most seamer-friendly of all the pitches in Sri Lanka. Oddly enough, teams still have preferred batting first and that has more often than not backfired. In addition to the captains at the toss, an eye needs to be kept on the weather. Showers are forecast on all five days of the Test.