We’ve spent the past week covering India’s growing injury list ahead of the Sri Lanka series. Turns out the hosts have their own crisis brewing — and it might be even more damaging to their batting lineup.
What Happened
Multiple reports indicate Sri Lanka will be without two of their most experienced batters for the two-Test series against India, both reportedly injured during the recently concluded Lanka Premier League 2026 season. Kusal Mendis, the side’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter with 4,836 Test runs at an average of 36.36, is out — a significant loss given his career includes 10 centuries and 23 fifties. Pathum Nissanka, who averages 42.25 in Tests with four hundreds, is also set to miss the series. With Mendis unavailable behind the stumps, Sri Lanka Cricket selectors are reportedly considering recalling 33-year-old Niroshan Dickwella, who hasn’t played a Test since 2023, ahead of promising 22-year-old Anjala Bandara, who averages over 60 in first-class cricket.
Here’s the Debate
Both India and Sri Lanka are walking into this series with genuinely undercooked squads — does that make this a fairer contest between two depleted sides, or does it just mean whichever team manages its injury crisis better wins by default rather than superior cricket? India have already lost Bumrah, Sudharsan, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar. Now Sri Lanka loses two of their most experienced batters. Is this genuinely bad luck on both sides, or does it say something uncomfortable about how franchise leagues like the LPL and IPL are scheduled right up against international red-ball cricket, leaving players running on empty right when Test cricket needs them most?
There’s a sharper selection question too: is recalling a 33-year-old who hasn’t played a Test in three years, over a 22-year-old averaging 60-plus in first-class cricket, the right call for a series that matters for WTC standings? Experience under pressure has real value in a format like Test cricket — but so does not wasting a rare opportunity to blood a genuinely promising young talent when circumstances hand you the opening.
Why This Changes the Series
Losing Mendis and Nissanka strips real depth from a batting lineup that was already going to be tested by an Indian attack featuring Mohammed Siraj, who’s taken 40 wickets at an economy of 3.68 in his last nine matches. Sri Lanka’s remaining batting core — captain Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, and Lahiru Udara — will need to be significantly more productive than usual to compensate for the missing experience.
What to Watch For
Whether Sri Lanka Cricket confirms Dickwella’s recall or opts for Bandara instead in the coming days, and how a weakened batting order copes with India’s spin and pace options on a Galle surface that traditionally favors the ball over the bat. With Shubman Gill reportedly needing just 157 runs in this Test to become the first Indian to achieve a specific career milestone, India may have extra motivation to press home whatever advantage this injury news hands them.