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Sri Lanka vs India 2nd Test Predictions - Padikkal to keep the runs flowing for India

Simon Lewis

Editor

Last updated: 21 Aug 2026

Simon Lewis 21 Aug 2026

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Sri Lanka have just one win in their last five Tests.
India have won back-to-back Tests and have three wins in five.
As the pitch wears the spinners are likely to dominate from Day 3, making fourth-innings chases difficult.

Expired

Devdutt Padikkaln scored over 200 runs in the 1st Test (Getty Images).

Sri Lanka vs India Predictions

India are massive favourites to seal a 2-0 series clean sweep. They have made a number of changes to their side and will be hoping that their top order can give them a chance of sharing the series.

Sri Lanka vs India Predictions
Head-to-Head
Sri Lanka Form
India Form
Team news

Sri Lanka’s Sonal Dinusha has scored 52, 100 & 84 in his last 4 knocks.
Sri Lanka’s Dhananjaya de Silva has scores of 120, 33, 34, 21 & 59 in his last 6 innings.
Sri Lanka’s Prabath Jayasuriya has figures of 3/31, 4/109 & 3/43 in 4 innings.
India’s Devdutt Padikkal has scored 142*, 167 & 44 in his last 3 knocks.
India’s KL Rahul has scores of 40, 82 & 35 in his last 3 innings.
India’s Manav Suthar took 4/76 & 6/55 in the 1st Test.

Head-to-Head

India have won four and drawn one of their last Tests against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Form

Hosts Sri Lanka showed plenty of fight in the first Test at Galle, producing a resilient performance against a strong Indian side. However, they ultimately fell short on the final day, losing by 165 runs while chasing a target of 372.

In the first innings, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 284 in reply to India’s commanding 462. Sonal Dinusha was the standout performer, scoring a well-compiled century, while Niroshan Dickwella added a valuable 80.

Captain Dhananjaya de Silva and the middle order offered some support, but Sri Lanka were unable to get close enough to India’s imposing first-innings total.

Their second innings brought another battling effort, but they were dismissed for 206. Dinusha again impressed with 84, while Dhananjaya played patiently for 59. However, the lower order could not build on those contributions against India’s spinners.

With the ball, Prabath Jayasuriya was Sri Lanka’s most effective performer, taking four wickets in the first innings and three more in the second. He made good use of the spin-friendly conditions and remained a key threat throughout the match.

Asitha Fernando also made an impact, claiming four wickets in India’s second innings. Sri Lanka’s bowlers improved as the match progressed, but they will need a sharper collective display if they are to level the series.

India Form

India continue their push towards qualification for the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 final and took an important step by winning the first Test against Sri Lanka by 165 runs.

Shubman Gill’s side now lead the two-match series 1-0, although the victory was not entirely straightforward. Sri Lanka challenged well at different stages and rain also played a role, briefly raising the possibility of a draw. However, India’s spinners eventually broke through, led by a brilliant performance from Manav Suthar.

India’s first-innings total of 462 gave them control of the match. Devdutt Padikkal was the standout batter, scoring a superb 167 and building important partnerships with Gill, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. Padikkal also added 44 in the second innings and was named Player of the Match.

Rahul contributed a composed 82, while Dhruv Jurel scored a half-century. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Pant and Suthar also chipped in with useful runs to strengthen India’s position.

In the second innings India made 193, with Pant top-scoring through an aggressive 66 from 69 balls. That effort helped set Sri Lanka a demanding target of 372.

Suthar was the match-winner with the ball, taking four wickets in the first innings and six in the second to finish with a superb 10-wicket haul. Ravindra Jadeja claimed three wickets in the first innings, while Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna provided useful support.

India will now look to complete the series win, with their spin attack once again expected to play a major role.

Team news

The pitch should start fairly flat with consistent bounce, favouring first-innings batting. Warm, humid and mostly cloudy conditions are expected, with afternoon or evening rain interruptions possible.

Sri Lanka (possible XI): Kamil Mishara, Lahiru Udara, Sahan Arachchige, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella, Keshara Nuwantha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando.

India (possible XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubhman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

Verdict

Sri Lanka v India 2nd Test

India are strong favourites to win, with Sonal Dinusha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Devdutt Padikkal and Manav Suthar the best performers with bat and ball for both sides.

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Simon is a talented sports writer in South Africa with a strong focus on cricket having played first-team level for UCT, including playing at two Universities Weeks.

From a young age Simon was an avid reader of cricket magazines and books, and went on to be Editor of The Googly, CricketScene SA and SA Cricket, in addition to being a Features Writer on SA Sports Illustrated.

He has interviewed most of South Africa's premier cricketers and was the first writer to interview a teenaged Jacques Kallis.

Simon has also written about English and local football, rugby and cricket, in addition to major international tennis and golf stars and competitions.

You can follow more from Simon at Muckrack, X and LinkedIn.