For Gill and Gambhir, interesting times lie ahead

Kolkata: There is a curious symmetry to India beginning this phase of their Test cycle in Galle. It felt, at the time, like the sort of result that had become routine for them.

Nearly nine years later, that is no longer the case. India's Captain Shubman Gill, left, with head coach Gautam Gambhir during a practice session ahead of the first test cricket match between India and Sri Lanka, in Galle.

What Happened

(PTI)That is why this Test, for all the World Test Championship arithmetic surrounding it, is also about something more than how they can reach the final. India are trying to work out what they look like without the men who gave their.

• Last time they played a Test there, in 2017, Virat Kohli was captain, Rohit Sharma was waiting for his turn to become one, and R Ashwin was at the height of his craft.

• For Indian cricket, it is the beginning of the difficult business of finding out what comes after an unforgettable era, the first answer of which will be dispatched from Galle.

• But the more revealing question is how they win, and what happens when winning stops being easy.

Key Details

Shubman Gill is at the centre of that transition. As captain, he must bear the uncomfortable responsibility of defining what the post-Kohli, post-Rohit India is supposed to be.

• They are the first serious backdrop against which the new Indian Test identity will be visible on a team level, as well as Individually.

• Sri Lanka are not simply the first opponent of another WTC campaign.

• That is what makes Galle such an interesting starting point.

Why It Matters

And the timing makes it particularly interesting. India’s previous Test cycle ended with a home defeat to South Africa, following their stunning 3-0 loss to New Zealand.

• That era has come and gone, leaving India in need of a thumping restart.

• Fast bowlers became central rather than supporting actors, fitness and intensity became part of the team’s identity.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by Hindustan Times as more details emerge