Sri Lanka and India meet at Galle for the First Test where Shubman Gill's visitors, even if not at full strength, are going to be hard to oppose.
The Lankans have a poor record against their mighty neighbours, both at home and in India, and will fear the worst.
Dhananjaya de Silva's men will be delighted they don't have to face ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah, who has pulled out through injury.
But do they have the bowlers themselves to skittle a fearsome-looking Indian top order where Devdutt Padikkal looks like being the latest superstar off the production line.
Sri Lanka vs India First Test Tips Summary
Best Bet - D Padikkal Over 8.5 match fours @ 5/6
Alternative Bet - Over 21.5 match catches @ 10/11
Bet Builder - R Jadeja 4+ wickets, P Jayasuriya 4+ wickets, Y Jaiswal 50+ runs, Sri Lanka opening partnership under 22.5 @ 5/1
Sri Lanka v India First Test Prediction
Best Bet: D Padikkal Over 8.5 match fours @ 5/6
There is no shortage of superstar names that Prabath Jayasuriya and his Sri Lankan bowling colleagues need to dislodge over the coming five days in Galle, including now Devdutt Padikkal.
Injury to Sai Sudharsan has opened the door for Padikkal and he blasted it open in the warm-up game against a Sri Lankan XI scoring a sumptuous 142 not out off 164 balls.
The elegant left-hander has played two Tests before - he made 65 on debut against England in Dharamsala in 2024 - and has been piling on the runs in the Ranji Trophy for a number of seasons.
The 26-year-old was class itself last week in the warm-up game, scoring 18 boundaries in a chanceless knock.
There is a high chance he will have to bat twice in Galle so he looks fine value to score over 8.5 fours in the match.
Alternative Bet: Over 21.5 match catches @ 10/11
In India's lone Test match over the past 12 months, a handsome innings defeat of Afghanistan, there were 19 wickets caught out of a total of 28 wickets.
At Galle, a more experienced and nuggety Sri Lanka side can ensure we get four innings of action and in that case expect the catch count to rise accordingly.
The 2-way catches line is set at 21.5 and that looks to be too low.
Sri Lanka vs India First Test Bet Builder Tip
- R Jadeja 4+ wickets
- P Jayasuriya 4+ wickets
- Y Jaiswal 50+ runs
- Sri Lanka opening partnership under 22.5
Pays 5/1
Spinners Prabath Jayasuriya and Ravindra Jadeja are going to be key figures at Galle and should be among the wickets.
Lankan Jayasuriya has taken three wickets or more in 12 of his 14 home Tests so take him to get four at least as leg one of the Bet Builder.
Then take Jadeja to also claim four as the second leg. Jadeja claimed four wickets in the warm-up game and has taken four wickets or more in each of his last four Tests.
Talented India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 61 in the warm-up game and can get 50 runs or more in this match. He has managed 50-plus runs in 18 of his 29 Tests.
Finally, Nishan Madushka and Lahiru Udara represent a novice opening duo for Sri Lanka so do not be surprised if one of them falls early in the first innings, with the bar for that first wicket set at 22.5 runs.
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Key Match Stats
- Sri Lanka have won only one of their last eight Test matches, failing to win any of the three they played in Galle in 2025
- India have played only one Test match since last November, beating Afghanistan in June by an innings and 300 runs
- Sri Lanka have lost each of their last five home Test matches against India and won only seven of 24 Tests played against their neighbours on home soil
- Sri Lanka's Dinesh Chandimal has scored seven half-centuries and 116 against New Zealand in his last nine Test matches
- India skipper Shubman Gill has scored six centuries and a solitary 50 in his last nine Tests
- Lankan star spinner Prabath Jayasuriya has taken 96 wickets in 14 home Tests, taking three or more wickets in 12 of those matches
Tactics, Form and Team News
Kusal Mendis' hamstring injury opens the door for a recall for Niroshan Dickwella.
Pathum Nissanka is also out with a wrist issue so the uncapped duo of off-spinner Kushara Nawantha and batter Pasindu Sooriyabandara are drafted in.
Left-arm bowler Dilshan Madushanka has been recalled three years after his last Test appearance.
Predicted Sri Lanka XI: Madushka, Udara, Chandimal, Mendis, Silva (cap), Dickwella (wkt), Dinusha, M Rathnayaka, Jayasuriya, A Fernando, Kumara.
Batter Sai Sudharsan and key seamer Jasprit Bumrah have withdrawn through injury. They have been replaced by Sarfaraz Khan and Auqib Nabi respectively.
Shubman Gill's men were already missing Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep.
Skipper Gill missed the warm-up game with a finger injury but has been passed fit to play.
Predicted India XI: Jaiswal, Rahul, Padikkal, Gill (cap), Jadeja, Pant (wkt), Jurel, Suthar, Yadav, Siraj, Krishna.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
