(Cricket news) After a whitewash in the T20I series, India and Sri Lanka are all set to go head to head for two Test matches. Important WTC points will be on the line as the men in blue look to climb from their current 5th spot and the Lankans try to keep their top spot. There are quite a few monumental moments from India's perspective. The first Test will be the 100th of Virat Kohli's illustrious career. It will also be the first series with Rohit Sharma as full time Test captain after Kohli's resignation. It will also be the first series to not feature Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara for a long time as India look to go into transition mode.

Ideal Playing XI

Openers: Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal

It will be interesting to see how skipper Rohit Sharma goes about things with the responsibility of captaincy. In the absence of KL Rahul, both Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill will battle for a spot. It is often said that Gill's future lies in the middle order which could be the reason that Agarwal will be preferred. The Karnataka batter, unlike his competition, has an excellent record on Indian soil.

Middle Order: Hanuma Vihari, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer

Virat Kohli is a no-brainer to bat in the middle order. There have been suggestions that he should bat at number 3, only time will tell if that happens. The other two are where Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid are going to have a very difficult time. Hanuma Vihari, Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill all deserve a place in the squad for different reasons. Iyer is definitely the best player of spin which is why conditions wise he has to play plus he is in great form after a record breaking T20I series. 

Hanuma Vihari has been waiting for his opportunity the longest. He has done nothing wrong but has been a victim of India's five bowlers policy. Gill may have to wait for his opportunity a little longer. There is an outside chance that India decide to play 7 batters and 4 bowlers which would mean that all three get in the side but that would definitely be surplus to needs. 

Wicket-keeper: Rishabh Pant

The selectors and the coach have shown a lot of faith in Rishabh Pant after deciding to drop Wriddhiman Saha. It's time for him to repay the faith by not only scoring runs but also by being clinical with the gloves. Pant is returning after a short break which means that he will be fresh and ready to go. The Delhi batter is also nearing 2000 runs in Test cricket which he will be hoping to achieve in this series itself. 

All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin

India's tried and trusted finger spin twins have won so many matches in home conditions and they will be hoping that they can continue to do the same in this series. The pair always deliver for India when called upon but this time around they will have to do it under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. Ashwin's selection in the squad had a subject to fitness clause but vice captain Jasprit Bumrah said in a press conference that Ashwin looks fit and should be ready to play.

Seamers: Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami

The depth of the Indian pacers makes it so difficult for a captain to pick two seamers in sub-continental conditions. It is safe to say that Bumrah and Shami are the best of the lot even though Umesh Yadav has proved to be better in Indian conditions and Mohammed Siraj is also difficult to keep on the bench for long. Bumrah is also the vice captain of the side and it will be interesting to see how he copes up. India have recently dropped Ishant Sharma whose return to the side looks very unlikely. 

Spinner: Kuldeep Yadav

It has been a good month for Kuldeep Yadav as after returning from injury he has been called straight back into the squad of all formats for India. His inclusion in the Test squad is very important as India desperately need to add a wrist spinner in their squad and who better than a chinaman. Yadav has delivered for India on various occasions in the white jersey including overseas. It might finally be his time to shine as he has been blessed with this opportunity in the absence of Washington Sundar and Axar Patel who have been ahead of him in the pecking order. He may have only one match to pounce on the opportunity as Axar Patel could return to the side for the 2nd Test.

Bench: Shubman Gill, Priyank Panchal, K.S Bharat, Jayant Yadav, Saurabh Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj

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