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Visitors pick Shannon Gabriel ahead of Kemar Roach, and play three spinners in Jomel Warrican, Rahkeem Cornwall and Roston Chase
Sri Lanka have won the toss and, unsurprisingly, opted to bat first on a Galle surface which often becomes a spin bowler’s dream as the Test wears on. West Indies have a debutant. Jeremy Solozano, the 26-year-old from Trinidad, is set to open the batting with Kraigg Brathwaite.
Also unsurprisingly, both sides have stacked their side with spinners. West Indies have both the left-arm spin of Jomel Warrican, and the offspin of Rahkeem Cornwall as frontline options, with Roston Chase also around to contribute with his offbreaks.
Sri Lanka have fielded two left-arm spinners. Lasith Embuldeniya, who had been Sri Lanka’s premier spinner over the past 18 months, and 23-year-old Praveen Jayawickrama, who was impressive on debut, both play. Ramesh Mendis, the offspin-bowling allrounder is also in the XI. As is Dhananjaya de Silva, who also bowls offbreaks.
Sri Lanka: 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt.), 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Oshada Fernando, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 7 Ramesh Mendis, 8 Suranga Lakmal, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Lasith Embuldeniya, 11 Praveen Jayawickrama
West Indies: 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt.), 2 Jeremy Solozano, 3 Nkrumah Bonner, 4 Roston Chase, 5 Jermaine Blackwood, 6 Kyle Mayers, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Joshua da Silva (wk), 9 Rahkeem Cornwall, 10 Jomel Warrican, 11 Shannon Gabriel
Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo’s Sri Lanka correspondent. @afidelf
This article was originally published by Espncricinfo.com. Read the original article here.