India captain Shubman Gill has indicated that Prasidh Krishna is likely to share the new ball with Mohammed Siraj in the first Test against Sri Lanka, which starts on Saturday. However, Gill admitted that choosing between Prasidh and uncapped pacer Gurnoor Brar is a "tough call". India are expected to field three left-arm spinners — Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar as orthodox options, along with wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Among the four pacers in the squad, Siraj is the only confirmed selection.
Auqib Nabi is not in contention, leaving the choice between 6-foot-5-inch Brar and Prasidh, who has played seven Tests, taking 25 wickets. "Gurnoor Brar is excellent with the old ball as he can extract bounce at a good pace. But Prasidh Krishna is bowling well of late as we have seen in the warm-up match. So it's a tough call," Gill said on the eve of the first Test. Gill said Jasprit Bumrah's absence due to a knee injury gives both pacers a chance to establish themselves. "Jasprit Bumrah is not here but it's an opportunity for someone to step up. It's all about understanding the pace of the game," Gill added. Devdutt Padikkal, a left-hander, is expected to bat at No. 3 in place of Sai Sudharsan, while Dhruv Jurel could retain his place in the middle order despite his recent scores. "Players are going to grow on their own. We need to give time to them, some players require a bit of time," Gill said. Gill also denied reports of communication problems between the team management and the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. "There is a constant communication with them. Unfortunately Sai Sudharsan did not improve as much as we liked as we can't take risks in Tests. But we are confident of our 15 (players)," Gill said. Gill, who has been Test captain for a year, said he is becoming more comfortable in the role. He also said India need to improve their position in the World Test Championship. "I am comfortable in my role as captain now. Our goal is to stay in contention for a berth in World Test Championship final. We need to win six or seven Tests for that. So we want to make a beginning here," the skipper said. The Test will be India's 600th in the format since their debut in 1932. "Leading my country in the 600th Test is an honour and doing so on Independence Day is an even bigger honour," he signed off.