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Mumbai (Reuters): Sri Lanka have never won a test in India and with Virat Kohli’s men on a run of near-flawless home form the visitors are unlikely to break their duck in a three-match series starting in Kolkata on Thursday.
In a bumper home season, which started in September 2016, India won 10 of 13 test matches, with their solitary defeat coming against Steve Smith’s Australia.
Even on home ground Sri Lanka have struggled against India, losing 9-0 across all three formats in July and August.
Under Kohli, the world’s top-ranked test side have won eight consecutive series dating back to 2015, and Sri Lanka look incapable of stopping them from winning a ninth to tie England and Australia for the record for most consecutive test series wins.
After being hammered at home by India, Sri Lanka then won a two-test series against Pakistan 2-0 in the United Arab Emirates but subsequently lost all eight limited-overs matches against the same opponents.
Their test record in India inspires little confidence as they have failed to record a single victory in 17 matches, the last of which was played eight years ago.
Former captain Angelo Mathews and spin spearhead Rangana Herath were the only two current squad members who played a part in that 2009 series and Sri Lanka will lean on them heavily once again. Sri Lanka coach Nic Pothas hopes the players have learned from the recent home series whitewash but wants them to focus on their own strengths instead of the Indian threat.
“The mistake you can make here is come and be infatuated with the Indian side and concentrate too much on them,” Pothas said on the team’s arrival in India.
“We know they are a good side. We only played them a month ago. We have to concentrate on our strengths and jobs, and if we can execute them well it will be a challenging series.
“The series against India was a huge learner for us. I also mentioned that if we didn’t learn from a very good team then that would have been the biggest error.”
Dual spin threat
While Sri Lanka’s bowling attack must find a way to stop the likes of Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara from scoring heavily, their batsmen will have to contend with India’s dual spin threat of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Most sides have found off-spinner Ashwin and left-armer Jadeja too hot to handle but Sri Lanka might be in for an even rougher ride with the pair likely keen to prove a point after being overlooked by selectors for India’s limited-overs sides.
While good news is in short supply for Sri Lanka they will at least be thankful for not having to face 24-year-old all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who is being rested having played non-stop from the Champions Trophy in June.
Pandya made his test debut in the series in Sri Lanka and made a big impact, hitting a maiden fifty and hundred while taking four wickets with his medium pace bowling.
Many have touted the series against Sri Lanka as a chance to prepare for a tough tour to South Africa at the end of the year but India wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha said the hosts were focused on only one team.
“It’s not like the Sri Lanka series is to prepare for South Africa,” Saha told reporters. “It’s a standalone series.
“Every test is a challenge, and we will take it match by match, as a team and as individuals.
“Once this gets over, we will worry about South Africa and the challenge it brings.”
After Eden Gardens hosts the first test, the two sides will travel to Nagpur and Delhi for the second and third match.
Mumbai (Reuters): Factbox on the three-test series between India and Sri Lanka, which starts in Kolkata on Thursday:
Fixtures (all start at 0400 GMT):
1st test - Nov. 16-20, Kolkata
2nd test - Nov. 24-28, Nagpur
3rd test - Dec. 2-6, Delhi
India
Test ranking: 1
Captain: Virat Kohli
Coach: Ravi Shastri
Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma
Recent form:
Sri Lanka
Test ranking: 6
Coach: Nic Pothas
Captain: Dinesh Chandimal
Squad: Dinesh Chandimal (captain), Dimuth Karunaratne, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Dilruwan Perera, Lahiru Gamage, Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando, Dasun Shanaka, Niroshan Dickwella (wicketkeeper), Roshen Silva
Recent form:
HEAD TO HEAD:
Total: 41
India wins: 19
Sri Lanka: 7
Draws: 15
IN INDIA:
Total matches: 17
India wins: 10
Draws: 7
Last six tests:
