Sri Lanka opt to bat in second Test vs India

Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal won the toss and elected to bat against India in the second cricket Test at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium here on Friday.

After narrowly missing out on a win in the opening Test at the Eden Gardens, the hosts made three changes to the playing XI by bringing in opener Murali Vijay, Rohit Sharma and veteran pacer Ishant Sharma in place of Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami.

Dhawan and Kumar were released from the Test squad after the dashing Delhi opener wanted a break for personal reasons while the Merrut-born seamer tied the knot on Thursday.

Shami, meanwhile was forced out of the team with a niggle.

The tourists on the other hand, retained the same playing XI from the previous match.

The three-match rubber is currently tied at 0-0.

Teams:

India: Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma.

Sri Lanka: Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (Captain), Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Dasun Shanaka, Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Gamage.

--IANS

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