Two uncapped Test players for Indian tour

By Sa`adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka named two uncapped Test players and recalled left-arm fast-medium bowler Chanaka Welegedera after a two-year layoff in the Test squad of 16 named for the tour of India next month.

Twenty-eight-year-old left-arm fast bowler Chanaka Welegedera played his only Test match against England at Galle in 2007 where he took four wickets for 76 runs and was hailed as the likely successor to Sri Lanka`s most successful fast bowler Chaminda Vaas.

However Welegedera failed to live upto the high expectations when he suffered a leg injury and faded out of contention until last season when he came back strongly with some inspiring bowling performances for Wayamba in the provincial tournament to stake a claim for a place in the Test side.

Left-hand middle-order batsman Thilina Kandamby and wicket-keeper/batsman Kaushal Silva are the two uncapped Test players.

Kandamby (27) breaks into the Test squad on the strength of his exceptional one-day form. Since his recall to the one-day side last year, Kandamby has been one of Sri Lanka`s most consistent performers scoring 618 runs from 17 ODI`s at an average of 44.14 inclusive of five fifties.

Twenty-three-year-old Silva rated highly by Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara makes it to the final 16, but whether he will be able to break into the Test team in the presence of three other experienced wicket-keepers regular Prasanna Jayawardene and standbys Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan (who kept wickets for the entire Test series against Pakistan at home) is a matter of conjecture.

Sangakkara once stated that it was the presence of the world`s best Test wicket-keeper in the side Prasanna Jayawardene that is keeping Silva on the sidelines. However selection committee sources said that Silva`s presence would put immense pressure on Jayawardene to hold his place in the team.

We want a wicket-keeper who can score runs at no. 7 and Silva is clearly ahead on that count, the source stated.

Silva nearly made it to the Test team when he was picked in the Test squad for the home series against Pakistan. A left-hand middle order batsman he has been a prolific scorer for SSC in the domestic circuit and captained Sri Lanka `A` against Pakistan `A` early this year.

The presence of left-arm spinner Rangana Herath is certain to put pressure on Ajantha Mendis to retain his place as Muthiah Muralitharan`s spin partner. Herath had a wonderful home series against Pakistan in the absence of an injured Muralitharan bowling his country to their maiden Test series win at home against the opposition and then followed it up with another fine performance against New Zealand.

Sri Lanka will play a series of three Tests with India starting November 16 at Ahmedabad. It will be followed by the second Test at Kanpur starting on November 24 and Mumbai from December 6.

Welagedera also gets the nod for the two Twenty20 Internationals along with hard hitting batsman Chintaka Jayasinghe and all-rounders Kaushal Weeraratne and Muthumudalige Pushpakumara. Sources stated that these players have been knocking on the door with good performances in domestic T20 matches and have been included with an eye on the World Twenty20 next year.

Sanath Jayasuriya`s long stint as one-day opener is in danger of coming to an end. The 40-year-old veteran of 441 ODIs was picked in the one-day squad not as an opener but as an all-rounder who will bat at no. 7 according to selection committee sources. We have selected Jayasuriya not as an opener, but as an all-rounder who will be picked depending on the state of the pitches we play, the source stated.

Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan will open for Sri Lanka in the five-match one-day series for which fast bowler Dilhara Fernando has been recalled.

The Sri Lanka Test team leaves for India on November 8. The two T20 Internationals are scheduled for December 9 and 12 at Nagpur and Mohali and the five-one-day internationals will be played from December 15-27.