Shubman Gill not playing: India have made five changes to their Playing XI from their last Test match in Cape Town.
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Leading India for the first time in a Test match, India captain Rohit Sharma has won the toss and chose to bat in the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium today.
“We are going to bat first. Similar Indian conditions, so it’s important for us to put runs on the board and take it from there. It is a huge honour to be captaining India and be part of the list. It is something I never dreamt of,” Sharma told Star Sports at the toss.
“It has been quite buzzing. We know it [Virat Kohli playing 100th Test] is a special occasion. Not many people go on to play 100 Tests, and Virat has been looking forward to this game.”
Much like Sharma, Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne also wanted to bat first in this match. Yet to win a Test match in India, Karunaratne hoped to turn the tables in this match. In what is Sri Lanka’s 300th Test match, it is Karunaratne’s 75th.
“We wanted to bat first as well. We have played 300 Tests but we never won in India. We have a good team, with the senior and junior combinations and we are prepared. We are going in with three seamers and two spinners,” Karunaratne told Star Sports at the toss.
Why is Shubman Gill not playing Mohali Test vs Sri Lanka today?
It is worth mentioning that India have made five changes to their Playing XI from their last Test against South Africa in Cape Town earlier this year.
Sharma, batters Hanuma Vihari and Shreyas Iyer, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and spinner Jayant Yadav have replaced the likes of Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav.
Despite India’s multiple changes, there wasn’t a spot for batter Shubman Gill in the middle-order. With one out of Vihari, Iyer and Gill slated to miss this match, India have decided to take the field without the local boy.
While Sharma wasn’t asked about the reason behind benching Gill, it appears that Iyer’s current form across formats has worked in his favour. Gill, 22, had played the last of his 10 Tests against New Zealand in Mumbai last year.
