Chandimal to return for second Test against India

Sri Lanka Test captain Dinesh Chandimal is likely to return to the side for the second Test against India, starting in Colombo on Thursday.

Chandimal missed the first Test, which Sri Lanka lost by 304 runs in Galle, after he contracted pneumonia last week but has now recovered sufficiently to lead his country out at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.

Veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who led the side in Galle, is a doubt for the second Test after picking up a finger injury but will be assessed closer to the date of the game.

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Asanka Gurusinha, Sri Lanka’s cricket manager and selector, said: “Dinesh should be fit, he actually played this (Sunday) morning and he has batted the last couple of days.”

Gurusinha said of Herath’s condition: “We have to see how he is going to come up in the next couple of days because his finger is pretty sore. We will give him till the last minute to make sure that he is fit.

“The day before the Test we will see whether he can drift the ball, it will come down to that. If he can without pain he will play, otherwise we will have to look at different options. The finger is not swollen but it’s sore and painful.”

Sri Lanka will look to level the three-match series with the third and final Test schedule to be played in Pallekelle on 12 August.

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