Tillakaratne Dilshan suffers ankle injury

Sri Lanka allrounder Tillakaratne Dilshan has suffered an ankle sprain but it is unlikely to keep him from the first Test against India, beginning on November 16 in Ahmedabad. He picked up the injury at the indoor nets in Mumbai, where for the seond day running no play was possible at the practice match against the Board President's XI.

"It's a minor ankle sprain," Brendon Kuruppu, the Sri Lankan team manger, said. "He [Dilshan] batted today [in the indoor nets] for some time. He should be okay in a couple of days. As of now the reports are very positive. He has to see how it feels while practicing on the field. Hopefully he should be fit for the first Test.

"He's okay and there's no need to panic. We will assess the injury at the ground. He suffered the injury while playing a warm-up game [yesterday] at the MCA's indoor stadium."

Rain ruled out play on Thursday for the second straight day in the three-day practice game between the visiting Sri Lankans and the Indian Board's President's XI in Mumbai. Kuruppu, however, was not in favour of playing a limited-overs contest on the final day.

"We are going into a Test series," said Kuruppu. "The frame of mind is different for the two forms. One-dayers are not ideal preparation before Tests. We have got something out of two days in keeping fit and get the team spirit going. But we have missed out on getting a feel of the pitch and other natural conditions."