India tour of Sri Lanka 2026 | Second Test | Preview and Predictions
After a dominating win in the opening Test, India will look to secure an important series win away from home with a victory at Colombo to keep their hopes of making it to next year’s World Test Championship final.
For the second Test of India’s 2026 tour of Sri Lanka, here we present our preview and predictions.
India tour of Sri Lanka 2026 | 2nd Test | 10:00 IST, August 23–27, 2026
Shubman Gill and Co gave us a strong all-round show in Galle: batters stepped up in the first innings, while the spinners got the job done to wrap up the match later on.
At the top of the batting order, KL Rahul was at his consistent best and has slowly become one of the most reliable red-ball openers going around. Devdutt Padikkal was the stand-out batter for India in the first Test, his 167-run knock in the first innings setting the team up for a big score. Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Gill missed out on runs, however, both posting unusually low scores, though the management won’t be too worried given the sheer class they both possess.
India’s middle order remains a bit of a worry, with Rishabh Pant’s living-on-the-edge style continuing to cause occasional concern, although his fighting 66 in the second innings proved key for the Men in Blue to put up a respectable target last time around. Dhruv Jurel and Ravindra Jadeja are also key with the bat lower down in order, while India have also found an incredible option at No. 8 in Manav Suthar, who is more than handy with the bat.
Suthar was India’s key spinner last time out: the left-armer’s ten-wicket haul has bolstered the team’s spin attack and helped them pick up a big win. He was unplayable for most of the game as the Sri Lankan batters struggled to pick him up, and he was ably supported by Jadeja as well as the seam duo of Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.
Team India fielded three left-arm spinners in Galle, but they may look to bring in a right-arm off-spinner in place of Kuldeep Yadav, which could mean Saransh Jain gets a game in Colombo.
The hosts, meanwhile, had a rough outing in Galle. The Sri Lankan batters weren’t able to tackle India’s spin attack: barring Sonal Dinusha’s 100 and Niroshan Dickwella’s 80, none of their batters crossed 30 in the first innings as they struggled to read Suthar and Jadeja. Moving to Colombo, the SL management will hope the batters adapt to the home conditions better.
A big blow to Sri Lanka will be Dinesh Chandimal’s neck injury, which has ruled him out of the second Test. The hosts have brought in the uncapped Kamil Mishara, who is arriving on the back of rich form in the domestic white-ball circuit. Sonal Dinusha was Sri Lanka’s best batter in the opening Test, while Dhananjaya de Silva and Niroshan Dickwella got some runs under their belts as well. That said, the management will hope that their top order provides better starts in the second game and collectively spends more time in the middle.
While their batting was mostly a let-down, Sri Lanka’s spin attack wasn’t much able to trouble the Indian batters either. Captain de Silva will expect more from the likes of Prabath Jayasuriya, Keshara Nuwantha, and the young Sonal Dinusha. Along with Mishara, Sri Lanka have also brought in another uncapped player to their squad in Sahan Arachchige, who is handy with the bat and is a right-arm off-breaker.
The Colombo track will be similar to the Galle strip, though it is known to be a bit drier, featuring grass that will bring the fast bowlers into play. The batters will look to get set in, however, as there will be plenty of runs on offer.
Visitors India come into the game as favourites for the win once again. Despite not having a stellar batting line-up, it is their bowling unit that gives them the edge over the hosts.
Fantasy XI: KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (c), Dhananjaya de Silva, Ravindra Jadeja (vc), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Sonal Dinusha, Manav Suthar, Asitha Fernando, Mohammed Siraj, Prabath Jayasuriya
Venue: Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo
Winners Prediction: India
