India and Sri Lanka recently completed a hard-fought two-match Test series in the subcontinent in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC). The Shubman Gill-led side won the series 1-0, but were tested by an injury-ravaged Sri Lankan side.
Team India recorded their third consecutive Test series win on Sri Lankan soil, but the 2026 tour comes across as bittersweet after missing out on a much-needed clean sweep. The visitors recorded a 165-run win in the first Test in Galle, but had to settle for a draw in the second Test in Colombo, courtesy of the Sri Lankan batters’ resilience.
Both Indian and Sri Lankan players had their fair share of moments in the series across all departments, making it a relatively balanced series, but given that India ended on the winning side, naturally the scales tilt towards them.
On that note, let us pick a combined India-Sri Lanka playing 11 of the SL vs IND 2026 Test series.
Top Order: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal
Opening batters did not have much of a say over the course of the Test series, but the Sri Lankan openers had the worst of it, especially in Pathum Nissanka’s absence. In comparison, the Indian openers had a decent series as both KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal made it to the combined team despite not having the best of outings.
KL Rahul was the standout opener in the series, scoring 135 runs at an average of 45. The Indian vice-captain made 82 to kick-start the tour on a high in trademark fashion, but fizzled out in the rest of the series, including a poor dismissal in the second Test after a rash, loose shot.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s form was a major talking point during the series. However, the opener was undone by an unfortunate run-out in the first innings after a mix-up with KL Rahul and was bowled by a stunning inswinging delivery in the second Test. Apart from his duck in the second innings in Galle, he arguably looked in decent touch for his 77 runs at a strike rate of 82.79.
Devdutt Padikkal made a massive claim for the No.3 slot in the Indian Test side after slamming two hundreds in three innings during the Sri Lanka tour. Finding a place in the playing XI after Sai Sudharsan was ruled out due to injury, the Karnataka batter scored 328 runs at an average of 109.33 to be crowned the player of the series. He scored a historic 167 in the series opener, the highest by an Indian No.3 in Sri Lanka, following it up with another hundred in Colombo.
Middle Order: Sonal Dinusha, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja
Undoubtedly, the breakout star of the series, Sonal Dinusha, was the standout player and single-handedly saved Sri Lanka from a 0-2 humiliation. Coming into the series after leading the Sri Lanka Cricket XI in the warm-up game, the left-handed batter scored his maiden hundred in the first Test in Galle.
He then recorded twin tons in the second Test in Colombo to help Sri Lanka salvage a draw. The newcomer batted for 722 deliveries in the entire series, with no other player facing more than 500 deliveries. In fact, in each of the four innings, he played over 100 deliveries, frustrating the Indian bowlers to a great extent.
Rishabh Pant finished the series as the fifth-highest run-getter, and the third most for India, scoring 168 runs at an average of 56.00 and a strike rate of 76.36. He scored two crucial fifties for India, one in each Test under different circumstances. The southpaw also battled pain and injury after copping multiple blows while facing the Sri Lankan pacers’ short-ball barrage.
Another player who was under scrutiny ahead of the series was Dhruv Jurel. The right-handed batter survived a selection battle against Sarfaraz Khan to find a place in the playing XI, and made the most of it. The wicket-keeper batter scored a much-needed fifty in the series opener, following it up with his second Test hundred in the second Test. He finished as India’s second-highest run-getter with 173 runs at an average of 86.50.
Ravindra Jadeja had a solid all-round series, featuring as the senior-most spinner in the Indian side. He bagged four wickets in each match, which included some key breakthroughs. The veteran did not fire with the bat in the first Test, but scored a vital 43 in the second Test.
Lower Order: Prabath Jayasuriya, Manav Suthar, Asitha Fernando, Prasidh Krishna
Sri Lanka’s spearhead Prabath Jayasuriya did not set the series alight with his spin bowling as expected, but did reasonably well considering the flattish conditions on offer. He toiled hard for his 92 overs, the second-most by a Sri Lankan bowler in the series, picking up nine wickets at an average of 31.55. The left-arm spinner also dismissed the Indian skipper Shubman Gill twice in the first Test in Galle.
Manav Suthar had a memorable first tour with the Indian Test squad after finishing as the leading wicket-taker in the series. The left-arm spinner outbowled established spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav to bag a historic ten-wicket haul in the first Test. He chipped in with 108.3 overs, the most by any bowler in the series, taking 16 wickets at an average of 21.06.
The pacers had a bigger say than one might have thought, and both India and Sri Lanka had a clear standout pacer in the series in the form of Prasidh Krishna and Asitha Fernando, respectively. The Indian right-arm seamer made a profound impact with both the new and old ball, using short-pitched deliveries to good effect, taking seven wickets at an average of 24.57.
Asitha Fernando, on the other hand, dominated with the ball for Sri Lanka, becoming their leading wicket-taker in the series. The spearhead was a menace for the Indian batters throughout, as he bagged 10 wickets at an average of 20.00.
Edited by Gokul Nair
