Teams:
Sri Lanka (From):
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India (From): Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Dinesh Karthik(w), Anil Kumble(c), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Rudra Pratap Singh, Munaf Patel, Rohit Sharma, Parthiv Patel, Pragyan Ojha.
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Dinesh Karthick looks set to pip Parthiv Patel for the wicketkeeper's job after a good outing in the tour game. Gambhir and Sehwag will open the innings after an impressive showing in the recently concluded ODI tournaments.
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India are also likely to go in 2 pacers and spin bowlers. Ishant Sharma is almost certain to partner Zaheer Khan, while Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh will share the spin duties.
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Team News: Sri Lanka will choose between Thilan Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekera as the only fast bowler alongside veteran Vaas, with Fernando, Maharoof and Malinga ruled out due to injury. Prasanna Jayawardene will keep wicket, allowing Kumar Sangakkara, the world's top-ranked test batsman, to focus on his batting. Chamara Silva and Tillakaratne Dilshan are competing for one place in the middle order.
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Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene insisted his team were focused on their gameplans. India have some good players and are always tough opposition, but we're focused on our own game and looking forward to the challenge," Jayawardene told Reuters. "If we can be disciplined in the execution of our gameplans and play our best cricket then we will be difficult to beat."
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"But we have come here with a good team as well and if we play to our potential, I think it will be a good test series."
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Dravid also admitted that Sri Lanka at home posed a formidable challenge. "They have got the right balance in these conditions and they are always a big threat at home," he said.
"It will be a big mistake to focus just on Mendis," Dravid told reporters on Monday. "They have got a couple of other guys (Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas) who have got 1,000 wickets between them."
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Ajantha Mendis, who has hogged much of the limelight, is all set to make his test debut. Despite the threat posed by Mendis, former captain Rahul Dravid warned his team-mates they cannot forget that Sri Lanka have other match-winners.
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All eyes will be on Sachin Tendulkar, who returns to international cricket after a three-and-a-half month hiatus, as the first test between India and Sri Lanka gets underway at the SSC in Colombo on Wednesday. Tendulkar needs just 172 runs to surpass Brian Lara as the highest run getter in Test cricket.
