No player in this Indian squad knows what it’s like to lose a Test series to Sri Lanka. Only one has even been on the losing side in a Test against this opponent — KL Rahul, from the 2015 tour. One half of this story is that Sri Lanka have never won a Test in India. The other is that Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav are the only survivors from the squad that last toured Sri Lanka in 2017. Normally, this would be cause for great statistical comfort. But this squad knows that the proudest of records are meant to be broken. Many of them were in harness in 2024 when New Zealand inflicted the first series whitewash in India (in a series of three matches or more) and also a year later when South Africa claimed a series win in India after 25 years.
Gautam Gambhir was the coach in both those series. And he will not enjoy being reminded that he was in the team when India last lost a series to Sri Lanka, back in 2008. Gambhir was by some distance India’s most assured batsman on that tour, with scores of 39, 43, 56, 74, 72 and 26 as India went down 2-1, the sole win coming on the back of Virender Sehwag’s 201 in Galle. The 2008 series was a freakish result. It has to be when Muttiah Muralitharan is not the most effective spin bowler in his own team, forget the series. Murali had 21 wickets at 22.23, excellent returns, but was eclipsed by Ajantha Mendis, at a time when mystery spinners were still a rare commodity, who repeatedly ran through India to end with 26 scalps at only 18.38.
