IND v SL: Pathum Nissanka ruled out of second Test with back injury
Sri Lanka have been dealt a huge blow prior to the second Test against India in Bengaluru following that Pathum Nissanka will not be fit to play.
Image credit: PA Images Pathum Nissanka strikes the ball for Sri LankaNissanka was Sri Lanka's top scorer in the first innings with a fighting 61 not out, as he watched the lower order capitulate.
Sri Lanka went on to lose their last six wickets for a paltry 13 runs in just 42 balls.
Nissanka is at the start of his Test journey with 494 runs scored in his seven Test’s to date.
With an average of 44.9 and one century, Nissanka’s absence is going to be a big hole to fill for the tourists.
Nissanka is not the only absentee as pace bowler Dushmantha Chameera sits out of the pink ball game having also missed the first Test due to an ankle injury.
Sri Lankan skipper, Dimuth Karunaratne, advised that Chameera is having his workload managed through to the 2022 T20 world cup in October in Australia.
Karunaratne stated that once recovered, Chameera would only be likely to play in limited over games to start with.
The INR 2 crore purchase for Lucknow Super Giants is expected to play in the IPL starting at the end of this month.
Karunaratne said "The [Sri Lanka team] medical panel has told us that we have to manage his injury till the T20 World Cup, and that he should be used (only) for white-ball cricket."
The loss of Chameera is bad news for Sri Lanka as he’s seen as a key player in their ODI side and has played in all eight of Sri Lanka’s eight T20I’s since mid-February.
It will be interesting to see the visitor’s line-up with Chamika Karunaratne filling a pace spot as Lahiru Kumara also missing through injury.
Nissanka is likely to be replaced by Dinesh Chandimal in the top order.