India vs Sri Lanka 2022: India’s strongest predicted playing XI for first Test

After an interesting T20I series between India and Sri Lanka, the action now shifts to the red ball, a format that has been productive for India over the last decade. However, it won’t be Virat Kohli leading the side as Rohit Sharma was recently appointed the full-time Test captain once the former stepped down after the South Africa tour.

India is coming off a painful 1-2 loss to South Africa in their previous Test series and they will be looking to move up in the World Test Championship table with a big victory at home. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have won their previous Test series against West Indies and riding high on confidence with a much-improved Test side.

India has dropped the experienced batters Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara after their poor form in the last two years and has invested in youngsters to do the job instead. Sri Lanka has some experienced players in their lineup as the first Test starts at the PCA stadium in Mohali from the 4th of March. With all those said, let us look into India’s predicted playing XI for the first Test.

India’s Predicted Playing XI for 1st Test

1. Rohit Sharma (c)

Rohit Sharma will be leading the Indian side for the first time in the red-ball format and he will have a big responsibility on his hands at the top of the order. The right-hander was in tremendous form in the Tests in 2021 and India missed him immensely in the tour to South Africa. His consistent performances in India and overseas earned him the vice-captaincy hat ahead of the South Africa tour and was recently named the permanent captain as well.

The Nagpur-born last played a Test in September 2021 against England and he hasn’t been in the best of touches in the limited-overs stint for India. The 34-year-old as a captain has managed to win all the six T20I games and three ODIs against Sri Lanka and West Indies combinedly, however, he has scored only one half-century throughout the nine innings against an ordinary bowling attack.

Rohit is currently at the sixth position in the ICC Test rankings for batters and he has an average of 46.87 in 43 Tests which is really good considering that he has been in and out of the side since making his debut in 2013. He will be looking to dominate the Sri Lankan bowling attack and stack plenty of runs in the upcoming Tests.

2. Mayank Agarwal

Mayank Agarwal will be looking to make the most out of his opportunity at the top with KL Rahul missing out due to injury and the Karnataka lad deserves his chance at the top as well. Agarwal hit a massive 150 against New Zealand when India last played a Test at home and it is tough to stop him once he gets going.

The 31-year-old was recently appointed the skipper of the Punjab Kings franchise and he will be looking to shine on the international stages whenever he gets a chance. He finished with 135 runs in 6 innings in South Africa with a sole half-century and the management would expect a lot more from him given his capabilities.

Agarwal likes to use his feet against the spinners and gets his runs in a quick time which has been a massive part of his success. With 1429 runs in just 19 Tests at an average of 43.30, the right-hander has been consistent enough and has hit four big centuries alongside six half-centuries.

3. Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill is likely to get the nod for the number three position in India with no Cheteshwar Pujara on the side and he is expected to be groomed into the role for the future as well. The right-hander missed out on the tour to South Africa with an injury and is now back for the upcoming Tests against Sri Lanka.

Gill has had starts in the two home Tests against New Zealand in 2021 with three scores of above 40 but wasn’t able to get the big scores under his belt. The 22-year-old has managed 558 runs in 10 Tests at an average of 32.82 and is yet to score an international century as well despite getting four half-centuries.

Gill was recently drafted by the Gujarat Titans ahead of IPL 2022 mega auction and he certainly can make a big difference to any side he plays. With immense potential on the wings, all Gill has to do is play those long innings and wait for the loose balls as well. This will be an important series for him and could define his career in the longer run.

4. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli will be playing under a new captain after eight years in the longer format and this might be the best chance to regroup himself. The 33-year-old hasn’t scored an international century for three years now and is going through a rough patch despite scoring the half-centuries at times.

The right-hander was rested for the recent T20Is against Sri Lanka and he will be playing his 100th Test which will be a massive feat for any cricketer. Having served Indian cricket for a long time, Kohli is a big inspiration for many aspiring cricketers and he will be keen to get out of the lean patch.

Kohli stepped down from India’s Test captaincy after the South Africa tour recently and he managed 161 runs in four innings in the country. However, he found different ways to be dismissed which is unlike his usual batting exploits and a good series here might change the aura around him completely. Kohli was the player of the series when Sri Lanka toured India for the last time in 2017.

5. Hanuma Vihari

Hanuma Vihari should be preferred ahead of in-form Shreyas Iyer in the playing XI, because of the fact that Rahul Dravid has been keen to credit the seniority in the side. Vihari is pretty much underrated, but has some serious first-class numbers and can play those big innings in the middle order.

Vihari has been waiting for his chances on the bench for a long time now and he played one Test in South Africa where he scored 20 and an important unbeaten 40. He has one of the best techniques in the Indian circuit when it comes to red-ball cricket and has scored one century and four half-centuries so far in his 13-match Test career.

Vihari will be in the spotlight because of the number he bats at and a good performance in the series might just seal his spot in the side. He will have competition from the likes of Shreyas Iyer who made a debut century and every innings needs to be counted well from here on.

6. Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant was also rested for the T20I series against Sri Lanka and he will be back as the first choice wicket-keeping option. The left-hander scored a brilliant unbeaten century in South Africa in Capetown in the final Test and shut down down the critics over his indifferent form in Tests last year.

Pant has the ability to change the game on its head in a very quick time and he is already seen as a future captain as well and has become an integral part of all the formats. The 24-year-old has played some career-defining innings in Tests especially and has four centuries and seven half-centuries in the format.

The Wicketkeeper-batter has been in the talks for getting promoted to No.5 in the batting order to bring a left-hander into the mix early and that could well be the icing on the cake for him. He has had to play some tough innings down the order along with the tail and will like taking on the Sri Lankan bowling attack as well.

7. Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja has been a revelation for India in all the formats over the last three to four years and has contributed to all three departments. He becomes a very dangerous bowler to play once the wickets start turning and will bring both edges into play with his arm delivery as well.

Jadeja was in beast mode during the recent T20I series against Sri Lanka after coming back from his injury and his improved batting show will be a great plus for India moving forward. He definitely can play at six in the batting lineup if needed and he is phenomenal with the ball in home conditions.

Jadeja scored a half-century when he last played a Test for India against New Zealand and was unfortunate to have missed out on the South Africa tour with an injury. He scored 70 runs in the three innings against Sri Lanka without getting dismissed and played some quickfire cameos according to the team’s situation.

8. Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin has been India’s best spinner in the last decade or so and is rated highly around the world as well. The off-spinner has the ability to hit the right lengths continuously and becomes a nightmare for the batters in turning pitches. He has had fitness issues of late and will be looking to make a mark again.

Ashwin was part of the T20 World Cup 2021 squad for India and he made a comeback into the ODI side as well in the South Africa tour. However, he wasn’t much effective with the lack of wickets in the middle overs and it will be interesting to see how he adapts back to the red-ball format.

The 35-year-old is a handy batter down the order and has five Test centuries so far. He has thirty five-wicket hauls in the 84 Tests he has played so far and will be the first choice spinner if he is fit. The finger spinner has done a great job under Kohli as captain and will be looking to continue his impressive performance under Rohit as well.

9. Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami last played in the Test tour of South Africa for India and he did a fine job including picking up a five-wicket haul in India’s win at the Centurion. The 31-year-old seamer has been India’s go-to man alongside Jasprit Bumrah and he will have a big role in all formats once he returns to the limited-overs squad.

Shami can run through a batting order rapidly once he finds rhythm and is one of the brilliant exponents of the art of seam bowling. He hardly bowls loose deliveries and likes to hit the tough lengths for the batters consistently. He also has a brilliant outswinger and he will be looking to make the most out of the upcoming series.

Shami also has the ability to get the reverse swing intact and has had immense success in the second innings of Tests when the cracks start to open up. Shami’s game time has considerably decreased after having not played much limited-overs series and he has dropped a little bit of pace as well.

10. Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah is one of the finest bowlers going around and he can have a massive impact on any team he plays. The right-hander was recently named the vice-captain in absence of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant and is seen as a captaincy prospect for India in the future.

Bumrah has been very successful for India in all the formats and he will be the first name on the playing XI sheet given his ability to keep performing consistently. Having made his international debut in 2016, Bumrah has gone on to become a great asset for India and is willing to take up the responsibility for India as well.

Bumrah is also recognised to be a sharp mind and it has been evident in the way he sets up the field and gets it right every time. The 28-year-old picked up 12 wickets in the Test tour of South Africa with one five-wicket haul and he will lead the pace attack for India in the upcoming Tests against Sri Lanka.

11. Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj had a brilliant debut series in Australia and has become one of India’s potent weapons across formats since that excellent display. The right-arm seamer can hit the 140 Kmph consistently and has the knack of getting wickets whenever the captain wants him to get him a dismissal.

Siraj has the ability to bowl outswing and inswing with the new ball and he also mixes it up with cross-seamed deliveries to confuse the batters at times. The 27-year-old is being groomed into India’s array of fast bowlers and will be more effective once he plays a lot more Tests.

Siraj played the final T20I against Sri Lanka apart from the ODI series against West Indies and has done well whenever he has been presented with an opportunity. However, it has been the red-ball format, where he has enjoyed bowling and getting the important breakthroughs for his captain.