COLOMBO: Sri Lanka have a team good enough to beat India in the second Test and level the three-match series despite a heavy defeat in the first game last week, captain Dinesh Chandimal said on Wednesday.

Chandimal, who was named Test captain after the resignation of Angelo Mathews, missed the first match because of pneumonia.

Pneumonia-hit Chandimal has been given permission by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to use an inhaler during the second Test against India. The ICC allowed Chandimal to use an inhaler to ease breathing while recovering from pneumonia.

Many inhalers contain substances that are banned by sporting authorities.

“I am much better. Thanks to the ICC they gave permission for me to use the inhaler, and that will help me breathe properly,” Chandimal told reporters on Wednesday.

He said his team have trained hard and are in a good state of mind to take on the No. 1-ranked Test team starting here at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground on Thursday.

India beat Sri Lanka by 304 runs in the first Test in Galle with a day to spare.

Lokesh Rahul set to stage comeback

“We trained for three days, and all the players are in a good state of mind,” Chandimal said. “I go into every match hoping to win. I have that determination and I have good players as well.”

Sri Lanka are likely to hand a first international cap to left-arm spin bowler Malinda Pushpak­umara to partner veteran Rangana Herath who is also fit to play, Chandimal said.

If Pushpakumara plays, it will be the 30-year-old bowler’s 100th first-class match. He has 558 wickets in his first-class career.

Batsman Dhananjaya de Silva will replace injured Asela Gunaratne while Herath has recovered from a finger injury sustained in the last Test.

Meanwhile, Indian skipper Virat Kohli said fit-again opener Lokesh Rahul has regained his place in the team to start the second Test against Sri Lanka.

Rahul, who missed the first Test triumph due to viral fever, maintains an impressive average of 44.44 in 17 Tests.

Openers Shikhar Dhawan and Abhinav Mukund put in strong performances in the first Test of the three-match series.

Speaking on the eve of the Colombo Test, Kohli made it clear that despite their stellar showing, one of the two openers will have to make way for Rahul, who is known as KL.

“Obviously KL has been our established opener. I feel one of the openers will have to make way for KL,” Kohli said of the 25-year-old.

“What he’s done in the past two years for us has been very solid, and he deserves to come back and start fresh in Test cricket again.” Dhawan hit a brilliant 190 in India’s first innings in Galle and is expected to retain his spot. That means Mukund is likely to miss out despite a gritty 81 in the second innings.

Rahul, who has hit four Test centuries and seven fifties, played a vital role in India’s series win over Australia in March despite getting injured during the first match.

“He has batted really well in the last couple of seasons for us. As I said, it is very important for us to make him feel that this is his spot,” said Kohli, who gave no other details on the playing XI.

Indian coach Ravi Shastri has talked up his team’s abilities, saying on Tuesday “a lot of big names have played for 20 years and they have come to Sri Lanka many times but they have never won a series. This team has done that.”

Teams (likely):

SRI LANKA: Upul Tharanga, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal (captain), Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella (wicket-keeper), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dilruwan Perera, Rangana Herath, Malinda Pushpakumara, Nuwan Pradeep.

INDIA: Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2017