KL Rahul ruled out of first test
What's the story
India's opening batsman Lokesh Rahul has been ruled out of first test against Sri Lanka due to viral fever. The test starts from 26 July at Galle . Rahul has been battling with injuries throughout his career and was out for a long time to recover from a shoulder injury. In his absence, let us see what could be India's playing XI at Galle.
The openers
Mukund could get a chance to open with Dhawan?
After Murali Vjay pulled out of the tour, and with Rahul down with fever, it could be the pair of Abhinav Mukund and Shikhar Dhawan to open the batting for India in the first test. However, Mukund has not performed well since he was called back into the Indian team earlier this year. Dhawan will also be playing his first test since September 2016.
Information
Pujara, Rahane, Kohli as middle order batsmen
Unless captain Virat Kohli bets on Cheteshwar Pujara to open the innings, he could be the perfect batsman on number three, followed by the skipper himself and then Ajinkya Rahane. Wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha could play out at the sixth place.
Bowlers
Chinaman Yadav could find a place?
With a terrific performance in the practice match, skipper would be keen on having chinaman Kuldeep Yadav in the team, along with Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. The pace attack can be handled by Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma or Bhuvneshwar Kumar. While Kumar has not played a test against Sri Lanka, Kohli would not mind trying him out.