IND vs SL: Indian captain Shubman Gill takes special preparation ahead of 1st Test against Sri Lanka in Galle

Shubman Gill is leaving no stone unturned as the Indian captain is taking a special preparation ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka, starting in Galle from August 15. Having missed the first two days of the warm-up game against Sri Lanka Cricket XI due to a finger injury, Gill could only bat 54 balls for his knock of 44 runs in the second innings, as India won the game.

But those nine overs weren't enough for Gill to counter Lankan challenge in his first Test tour in the Island nation. A day after the three-day warm-up ended, Gill prepared in a special way at the Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) on Monday in an optional practice session to understand and get used to the reverse swing that will be on offer in Galle Test.

According to a RevSportz report, the Indian management asked the NCC ground staff to keep the same strip ready that was used in the warm-up game. With cracks on it, the pitch was tailor-made for a Day 4 surface in this part of the country. The batters also took throwdowns in another wicket adjacent to the centre pitch.

India's special training in Colombo

The Indian team management specifically carried Kookaburra balls to Sri Lanka as the upcoming Test series will be played with the same. After completing his warm-up, the Indian captain headed straight to the practice nets to take throw-downs from specialists Nuwan Seneviratne, Raghavedra Dwivedi and Dayanand Garani. In fact, Seneviratne belongs from Sri Lanka.

The report further added that the throw-down specialists were specifically asked by the Indian captain to use semi-old balls to understand the hint of reverse swing. Gill spent approximately 20 minutes with the throw-down specialists, before shifting to the centre-pitch to face Auqib Nabi.

Like the throw-down specialists, the uncapped Jammu and Kashmir pacer was also asked to bowl to Gill with semi-old balls so that he could gauge the reverse swing. It must be noted that unlike in Australia, where the new ball takes time to lose its shine, conditions in Sri Lanka are a bit different.

Sai Sudharsan ruled out of IND vs SL Tests

Meanwhile, India will miss the services of Sai Sudharsan as the Tamil Nadu batter has been ruled out of the series against Sri Lanka. The left-handed batter, who has been at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru, has made significant progress in his recovery from the right toe stress reaction and is recovering well.

Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan as a replacement for Sudharsan for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Sudharsan was the second Indian cricketer after pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has been ruled out of the series.

India's updated squad for Tests against Sri Lanka

Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi, Sarfaraz Khan