Cricket

More injury woe for Sri Lanka before second India Test

By AAP Newswire

Aug 20, 2026

Key Sri Lanka batter Kusal Mendis will not recover from his hamstring ‌injury in time for the second Test against India, adding to the hosts' injury woes with ‌fellow batter Dinesh Chandimal also out after suffering a concussion.

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Sri Lanka lost the first of the three-Test series by 165 runs in Galle on Wednesday, a day ‌after Chandimal ‌suffered a ⁠concussion while fielding, and had to be replaced by Pasindu Sooriyabandara in the team.

ICC rules automatically rule out a player who has been substituted due to a concussion for seven days, meaning he'll miss the second Test in Colombo that begins on Sunday.

"Kusal Mendis has got ⁠a proper hamstring injury, ‌he is not going to be available for a while," Sri Lanka ‌coach Gary Kirsten told reporters on Wednesday.

Wicketkeeper-batter Mendis suffered the hamstring injury during the Lanka Premier League last month.

"Dinesh is not available for the next Test, Kusal is not available. So we're missing a few guys ‌from that perspective, but it creates a great opportunity for players to come in and stake their claim," Kirsten added.

Sri Lanka's batting line-up is further weakened by the absence of Pathum Nissanka, who had wrist surgery in ⁠June.