Cricket: Sri Lanka to bat in first India Test

Cricket: Sri Lanka to bat in first India Test

GALLE, Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka's captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and elected to bat in the first Test against India at the Galle International Stadium on Wednesday.

India picked three spinners - Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra - in a five-man bowling attack on an unusually dry pitch.

The home team went in with two seamers and two spinners, preferring to bolster the batting with seven specialists. Dinesh Chandimal will keep wickets.

Sri Lanka's batting great Kumar Sangakkara is due to retire from international cricket after the first two Tests of the three-match series.

India: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma.

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (capt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Jehan Mubarak, Rangana Herath, Tharindu Kaushal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhammika Prasad.

Umpires: Bruce Oxenford (AUS) and Nigel Llong (ENG)

TV umpire: Ranmore Martinesz (SRI)

Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

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