India skipper Shubman Gill indicated that Prasidh Krishna will likely partner Mohammed Siraj with the new ball in the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, calling the choice over rookie Gurnoor Brar a tight contest.

While the visitors plan to field a heavy spin combination featuring three left-arm options -- two orthodox in Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar and a wrist-spinner in Kuldeep Yadav -- Siraj remains the only certainty and leader of the four-pronged pace attack in the absence of injured Jasprit Bumrah.

Replacing Bumrah in the Test squad, Jammu and Kashmir seamer Auqib Nabi is not even in the reckoning for a spot in the playing XI as the choice is between the 6-foot-5-inch tall Brar and an inch shorter Prasidh, who has 25 Test wickets under his belt in seven matches.

"Gurnoor Brar is excellent with the old ball as he can extract bounce at a good pace. But Prasidh Krishna is bowling well of late as we have seen in the warm-up match. So it's a tough call," Gill told reporters on eve of the Galle Test.

"Jasprit Bumrah is not here but it's an opportunity for someone to step up. It's all about understanding the pace of the game," he added.

Devdutt Padikkal is expected to bat at No. 3 in the absence of injured Sai Sudharsan, while Dhruv Jurel is likely to retain his middle-order spot despite poor returns in the last few Tests.

The captain defended the team selection, backed young players to find their footing, and denied any communication gap with the Centre of Excellence regarding injury concerns.

"Players are going to grow on their own. We need to give time to them, some players require a bit of time," Gill stated.

"There is a constant communication with them. Unfortunately Sai Sudharsan did not improve as much as we liked as we can't take risks in Tests. But we are confident of our 15 (players)," he remarked.

Gill has completed one full year as Test captain and feels increasingly confident leading the side with every passing match. His primary objective is stabilizing India's campaign for the World Test Championship (WTC) final after a recent dip in form.

India need to win six or seven of their remaining nine Test matches in the current cycle to secure a spot in the WTC final.

"I am comfortable in my role as captain now. Our goal is to stay in contention for a berth in World Test Championship final. We need to win six or seven Tests for that. So we want to make a beginning here," Gill said.

This opening fixture against Sri Lanka marks India's 600th Test match since making their format debut 94 years ago in 1932.

"Leading my country in the 600th Test is an honour and doing so on Independence Day is an even bigger honour," he concluded.

(With PTI Inputs)