Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has confirmed it’ll host the Indian men’s cricket team for two Tests in August as part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The first Test will be played at the Galle International Cricket Stadium from August 15-19, while the second match will be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), Colombo, from August 23-27. Both matches will begin at 10:00 am IST.
India, who have reached the World Test Championship final twice without lifting the trophy, are currently fifth in the standings, with Sri Lanka one place behind in sixth. The team has an approximate 5-10% chance of reaching next year’s final and can’t afford any more slip-ups.
The Shubman Gill era began on a positive note with a hard-fought 2-2 drawn series
in England, followed by a home Test series victory over the West Indies. However, that momentum was halted by a shock home whitewash at the hands of South Africa last year, exposing persistent concerns about India’s batting against quality spin and a lack of similar strength in their own spin department.
Issues against spin are also becoming common in other formats, with the IPL’s flat tracks and lack of preparation time for Test matches taking most of the blame. These vulnerabilities will be under scrutiny again in Sri Lanka, where the hosts’ spin-heavy attack is expected to pose a stern examination on turning pitches.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir will be under pressure, too. He scoffed at the word ‘transition’ at the start of his tenure but has taken refuge under it since then, claiming that the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin, among others who were phased out, were bound to have an effect.
India’s last Test tour of Sri Lanka came in 2017, when they dominated the three-match series, completing a comprehensive 3-0 sweep.
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