Virat Kohli hints at the playing XI for the first Test against Sri Lanka

What's the story?

The focus shifts from women's cricket to men's cricket as the Virat Kohli led Indian side gets ready to take on Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle on July 26.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Kohli hinted at the playing XI for the first Test against the islanders.

In the absence of KL Rahul, he confirmed that Shikhar Dhawan and Abhinav Mukund would open the batting for the side.

"We only have two more openers. Rohit has never opened in Test cricket and we don't see that kind of experiment happening here because we have specialist openers in the team and they will obviously be starting this game. KL is down with flu unluckily but it is not serious and he will take a few days to recover from that," said Kohli about the opening combination.

Kohli also went on to state that Hardik Pandya could make his debut for the Indian Test side in the first Test.

"We've got a guy like Hardik Pandya who is a wicket-taking bowler. Every game that he plays, on any surface, he has a knack of picking wickets. He has a great chance of playing as well. That gives us balance," Virat Kohli said during the pre-match press conference.

In case you didn't know...

KL Rahul played in the warm-up match against the Board President's XI but was diagnosed with viral fever shortly after the match due to which he stayed back in Colombo.

The Indian side performed well in the warm-up match, especially in the bowling department with Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja ripping through the opposition batting line-up.

Hardik Pandya, who looks set to make his debut hardly got an opportunity to bowl and did not make a mark with the bat scoring only 11 runs. In the end, the match was drawn after two days of play.

The Details:

Hardik Pandya has been a consistent performer in the limited overs side for over a year now and has shown his batting and bowling prowess.

With Pandya in the side, India would go into the match with five bowlers, which will include two spinners and three seamers. Kohli also stated that Pandya would give the side an extra batting option which is something India missed out on the last time they played at Galle.

On the other hand, KL Rahul will look to recover quickly and make a comeback in the next Test.

What's next?

All eyes will be on the Indian side as they take on Sri Lanka in three Tests, five ODIs, and one T20I.

Author's take

Hardik's inclusion in the playing XI will definitely be an added bonus to the side given his ability with the bat and the ball. If he performs well in the first Test, he could cement his place in the side as an all-rounder for the years to come.

Meanwhile, this series will decide the future of Abhinav Mukund in the Test side as he has not been too consistent over the past couple of years. With Rahul most likely to make a comeback in the next Test, Mukund will have to score big in the first Test and send a message to the selectors.