Sri Lanka vs. India, 2nd Test: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

After victory in Galle, Sri Lanka will face India in the second of three Tests in Colombo, with the hosts looking to wrap up a series victory.

Venue: P Sara Oval, Colombo

Date: Thursday, August 20

Start time: 10 a.m. local time, 5:30 a.m. BST

Live on: Sky Sports (UK), SKY Sport (New Zealand), SuperSport (South Africa), DD National/DD Sports (India), Fox Sports (Australia), DIRECTV & Willow TV (United States of America), OSN Network (United Arab Emirates), PTV Sports (Pakistan), Ten Sports (Caribbean).

Weather: According to Weather.com, Colombo will be dominated by thunderstorms throughout this game, with temperatures hitting 31 degrees Celsius.

Overview

Sri Lanka came out on top in the first Test by 63 runs, as they managed to defend what appeared on the surface at least to be a very small total in the fourth innings.

The hosts batted first and made just 183, led by captain Angelo Mathews with 64 and Dinesh Chandimal with 59.

Ravichandran Ashwin was the pick of the bowlers with 6-46 on a wicket that was offering plenty of assistance to the spinners even on Day 1.

In reply, India racked up 375, thanks to centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, with Wriddhiman Saha adding 60.

Tharindu Kaushal took 5-134, but they were expensive wickets, as the visitors looked well on top.

However, after their top order crumbled the second time around, Chandimal counter-attacked with a brilliant 162 to put Sri Lanka in the lead and set India a target of 176 to win.

It may have seemed a reachable total, but the Indians crumbled against Rangana Herath, who took 7-48 and bowled the tourists out for 112, leaving them defeated by 63 runs.

Things got even worse for the away side in recent days, too, as Dhawan has been sent home with a fractured hand, according to ESPN Cricinfo.

Stuart Binny has been called up as cover for a squad struggling with injury problems, although Murali Vijay could be available after some hamstring troubles.

It is all a bit worrying for India, who will face a Sri Lanka team high on confidence and in prime position to secure a series win.

Team News

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Upul Tharanga, Jehan Mubarak, Kusal Perera, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Tharindu Kaushal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhammika Prasad, Vishwa Fernando

India: Virat Kohli (capt), Varun Aaron, Ravichandran Ashwin, Stuart Binny, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Umesh Yadav, Lokesh Rahul

Key Players

Rangana Herath

In Sri Lanka’s successful defence of 176, Rangana Herath stood out, as he took 7-48 and spun India to defeat.

The left-armer found a great deal of assistance from the pitch and will likely look for more in this Test in Colombo for further impact.

Virat Kohli

One of the few India batsmen to really shine in the first Test was Virat Kohli, whose 103 in the first innings helped the visitors take a big lead, which they then squandered.

With fellow centurion Dhawan out, the onus is on Kohli to deliver for his country and prevent them from suffering another away defeat.