The second Test will be played in Bengaluru from March 12 under lights.
Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne has expressed his disappointment over the team's batting, as the opening Test of the two-match Test series ended inside three days in Mohali on Sunday (March 6).
In response to India’s 574/8d, Sri Lanka could manage 174 and 178 in their two innings to suffer a heavy defeat of an innings and 222 runs in the first Test against Team India in Mohali.
After the match, Karunaratne said that nobody in his side expected that the first Test match would get over within three days and asked his batters to put their hands up and bat longer innings.
Karunaratne told host broadcaster Star Sports at the post-match presentation: “We never thought it would finish by day three. The batters need to put their hands up and bat longer innings.”
He continued, “When you are playing against India you have to capitalize on the starts, it was easy to bat on this track, once you get in you have to score big. We backed ourselves (by playing the extra seamer). We thought the wicket would crack open and is going to be up and down.”
Karunaratne signed off by saying, “If we had bowled better then we could have restricted them. We were too defensive or too aggressive with the bat, need to get a balance between both by rotating the strike and that's how you play big innings. As a batting unit, we have to put our hands up and score big. We did well for the first two sessions but could not execute when the ball got old and those are things we need to work on.”
Notably, India and Sri Lanka will now lock horns in the second and final Test, which will be a day-night affair to be played in Bengaluru from March 12.
(With ANI Inputs)