Till the start of this week, the stands at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium in Mohali were to be silent for the first Test between India and Sri Lanka starting from Friday (March 4). But with now 50% crowd being allowed into the stadium, the sounds of cheers and claps from the fans will be heard when Virat Kohli takes the field for his 100th Test, becoming the 12th Indian and 71st cricketer to achieve the landmark.
Friday’s Test against Sri Lanka also marks Virat Kohli’s first appearance in Tests since leaving the captaincy after India lost 2-1 to South Africa in January. Though his returns with the bat (no century since November 2019) have invited concern and criticism in equal measure, there is no questioning that Kohli has been the backbone for India`s batting for a very long time.
Though Kohli had a low-key Test debut in June 2011 against the West Indies in the backdrop of his stunning white-ball game, his desire to succeed and strive hard for excellence in the longest format of the game has resulted in him amassing 7962 runs in 99 matches at an average of 50.39, including seven double centuries. In his landmark Test, Kohli will be entering a new phase of his career: as the senior-most batter in the side with no demands of captaincy and chance to scale much greater peaks with a renewed mindset.
Kohli’s landmark 100th Test also marks the start of Rohit Sharma’s stint as the Test captain of India. The hosts haven`t been on the losing side in home Tests since the 2-1 defeat to England in 2012 and will be hoping to extend their streak against a visiting Sri Lanka side. Apart from keeping the winning juggernaut rolling against Sri Lanka, India will have one eye on gaining some crucial World Test Championship (WTC) points, In the race to the final. India are in fifth place while Sri Lanka are the early topper of the table.
India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Match Details
Venue: PCA Stadium, Mohali
Date & Time: March 4th to 8th, 9.30AM IST onwards
Live Stream & TV Timing: Star Sports network and Disney+ Hotstar website and app.
IND vs SL Dream11 Team Prediction
Captain – Ravichandran Ashwin
Vice-Captain – Rishabh PAnt
Wicketkeeper: Rishabh Pant
Batters: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Lahiru Thirimanne, Mayank Agarwal, Dimuth Karunaratne
All-rounders: Angelo Mathews, Ravichandran Ashwin
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Embuldeniya, Praveen Jayawickrama
IND vs SL Probable XIs:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill / Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama, Lasith Embuldeniya
