IND vs SL: Shubman Gill sets his sights on WTC final 2027 spot

Team India will play the first Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle starting August 15. Players from both teams are training hard for this series. With Jasprit Bumrah, Sai Sudharsan, and Washington Sundar ruled out before the series even begins, Team India will be forced to make changes to its playing XI. Devdutt Padikkal is set to replace Sai Sudharsan, while Mohammed Siraj will lead the pace attack in Bumrah's absence. If India loses this series, they could miss the opportunity to qualify for the WTC 2027 final. The team currently sits in fifth place with 4 wins, 4 losses, and 1 draw; to secure a spot in the final, they need to win 7 of their next 9 matches.

It will be interesting to see which combination Team India fields for the first Test. Reports suggest the Galle pitch will favor batting for the first two days, while the bowlers are expected to dominate the subsequent three days. Given these conditions, India might opt for a lineup featuring three spinners and two fast bowlers.

A day before the match, captain Shubman Gill shared his thoughts on the team combination. Gill noted that Gurnoor Brar has bowled well, and Prasidh Krishna found his rhythm towards the end of the warm-up match. Deciding who gets a chance in the starting XI will be a tough call. He acknowledged that in Bumrah's absence, the other bowlers would need to step up their game.

“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. 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," Shubman Gill said.

Shubman Gill made it clear that the team's focus is on securing a spot in the World Test Championship final. "We need to win 6 to 7 Tests, and we want to start that journey right here."

"Players are going to grow on their own. We need to give time to them, some players require a bit of time. 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," he added.