India face Sri Lanka in the first Test of a two-match series in Galle on Saturday with both sides coming at a ground that has long rewarded patience and punished uncertainty against spin.
The contest comes at a difficult time for India, who have lost home Test series to New Zealand and South Africa in the past two years that too largely on the back of struggles against turning tracks.
Rain has left the build-up slightly unpredictable, with conditions in Galle expected to be more humid than usual rather than offering the customary square turn from the outset.
Sri Lanka's spin attack, led by the experienced Prabath Jayasuriya, remains the heart of their bowling unit, while India will be without Jasprit Bumrah for the series.
KL Rahul's past experience on the island adds an important part to India's batting line-up heading into the opener.
India's batting will take confidence from their warm-up win over a Sri Lanka Cricket XI heading into the Galle Test, a contest where the tourists carry considerably more quality across the board than their hosts.
Yet the tour match also exposed old habits, with India's batters occasionally reverting to methods that have undone them on turning pitches back home.
If those same struggles resurface once Jayasuriya and company start to find their rhythm on a wearing Galle surface, this series could turn into a far tougher prospect than the form book suggests.
Adaptability, more than raw talent, is likely to decide how comfortably India convert their advantage into a series-opening win.
This surface could be more difficult to score.
Here is our favourite betting angle for the Sri Lanka vs India:
Gill to score over 39.5 in the first innings
Gill has been the most important player for India across board in the last few series and the Indian captain will be looking to extend that.
MAKE YOUR BET WITH DAFABET AND GET UP TO 200% WELCOME BONUS
Here's how both sides are likely to line up in this game:
Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya De Silva (C), Kamindu Mendis (VC), Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Milan Rathnayake, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Keshara Nuwantha
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj
BET HERE: Best cricket betting sites in India
Here is all the key information for how to watch Sri Lanka vs. India 1st Test:
Venue: Galle International Stadium, Galle
Loading comments…