Sri Lanka stayed on course for victory against New Zealand in the opening test in Galle despite Rachin Ravindra's unbeaten 91 on Sunday.
India Test captain Anil Kumble is confident his experienced top order would cope with Sri Lanka's new spin sensation Ajantha Mendis. Mendis, 23, destroyed India's top order in the Asia Cup final earlier this month, claiming 6 for 13, but Kumble backed his strong Test line-up to cope better than the one-day team.
Spinner Ajantha Mendis and fast bowler Dilhara Fernando are back in Sri Lanka's Test squad for the tour of South Africa next month, the selectors announced on Tuesday.
Lockie Ferguson became the sixth New Zealander to take a T20 hat-trick as the visitors edged Sri Lanka by four wickets in a low scoring match in Dambulla.
The second match of the series will be played at Lord's, starting from August 29 and the final Test match of the series will take place at Kennington Oval on September 6.
Sanath Jayasuriya and Sri Lanka's latest spin sensation Ajantha Mendis led Sri Lanka to a five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Canada Twenty20 final.
Mathews made his T20 comeback for Sri Lanka in January after a three-year gap.
Rajneesh Gupta presents a detailed statistical analysis of the tournament.
Hasaranga too is returning from a chronic heel pain on his left leg, which forced him to miss the ongoing IPL.
Ajantha Mendis wrecked havoc when India toured Sri Lanka in 2008 but senior batsman Rahul Dravid is hopeful that this time around he and his colleagues are better equipped to tackle the 'mystery' spinner in the forthcoming Test series, beginning in Galle next month.
His decision followed questioning by the Criminal Investigation Department with regard to an alleged refusal to relinquish documents to sports ministry officials.
India's newly-forged coach-captain combination of Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav will look to make instant impact against a Sri Lankan team in disarray.
Wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal and spinner Ajantha Mendis were left out of the Sri Lanka squad of 15 for the two-Ttest series against Pakistan, starting at Galle next week. Chandimal lost his place to Niroshan Dickwella, who made his Test debut in the second Test against South Africa in Colombo last week and scored a half-century.
Real Madrid got their LaLiga title defence off to a limp start as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Mallorca.
Sri Lanka hope spinner Ajantha Mendis can be fit for the opening World Twenty20 Super Eight match with New Zealand on Thursday after he returned to the nets following a side strain.
Ajantha Mendis bettered his own T20 record by taking six wickets for just eight runs as Sri Lanka walloped minnows Zimbabwe by 82 runs in the opening match of the World Twenty20 tournament in Hambantota on Tuesday.
spinner Washinton Sundar was also in focus, especially during the Super Over, where he restricted the Sri Lankans to just two runs, which India won comfortably.
Anrich Nortje demolished Sri Lanka with career-best figures of 4/7 as South Africa exploited the bounce on offer to secure a six-wicket win in their T20 World Cup opener in New York on Monday.
Former Hull City wing back Bernard Mendy scored through a stunning bicycle kick as hosts Chennaiyin FC beat Kerala Blasters 2-1 in a Hero Indian Super League match on Tuesday.
Ajantha Mendis claimed career-best figures of 5 for 22 as Sri Lanka cruised to a 142-run victory over the United Arab Emirates in the Asia Cup cricket tournament at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore on Thursday night. The UAE lost their last six wickets for only 15 runs and were dismissed 148 in 36.3 overs.
Praising Sri Lanka's mystery bowler Ajantha Mendis's showing against the star-studded Indian batting line-up in the just concluded three-Test series, former Australian coach John Buchanan says the youngster should be judged on a long-term basis. "Mendis reminds me a bit of Johnny Gleeson, though he releases the ball much quicker, is taller and stronger. He also has good change of pace," he told newspersons in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Ajantha Mendis remained an unsolved mystery for the Indian cricket team during the Test series but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni says the Sri Lankan spin wizard would not be much of a threat if openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir go after his loose deliveries in the one-dayers starting on Monday.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni believes Sri Lanka's new bowling weapon, Ajantha Mendis, will provide the sternest of tests on their tour of the island.
South Australia has roped in Sri Lankan mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis for this season's Twenty20 Big Bash, the club said on Tuesday.
Jaiswal accomplished this milestone during his side's second T20I match against Sri Lanka at Pallekele.
Off-spinner Nishan Peiris picked up a six-wicket haul on debut as Sri Lanka crushed New Zealand by an innings and 154 runs.
IMAGES from the 3rd ODI played between Sri Lanka and India, in Colombo, on Wednesday.
SL executed their plans well against the Indian batters, who are not the cleverest performers on rank turners, while not many are though.
Sri Lanka's cricket selectors on Tuesday included uncapped all-rounder Jeevan Mendis in the 15-man squad to play the first Test against Pakistan starting this weekend.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav smashed a brilliant half-century as India overpowered Sri Lanka by 43 runs in the first T20 International.
India's previous bilateral ODI series defeat against Sri Lanka came way back in 1997.
Pant breaks into top-10, Rohit, Kohli slip
After being bowled out for a paltry 183 in the first innings losing as many as eight wickets in a single session, No 3 Mendis (110 off 135 balls) and opener Karunaratne (92 batting, 200 balls) added 191 as the visitors could get only two wickets in the next two sessions.
Sri Lanka dropped veteran Sanath Jayasuriya and spinner Ajantha Mendis from their 15-member squad for the Asia Cup tournament starting in Colombo from June 15.
The fate of the series was decided after India swept aside Sri Lanka in the first two games, leaving the possibility of an embarrassing whitewash hanging over the hosts' heads.
Images from the 1st ODI between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday.
Ajantha Mendis took six wickets for 67 runs as the famed Indian batting line-up struggled despite Yuvraj Singh's brisk century and Gautam Gambhir's 89 on Day 2 in the three-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka Board President's XI at the Colts Cricket Club Ground, in Colombo, on Wednesday.
With the famed Indian batting order's reputation in tatters, a dejected India captain Anil Kumble on Saturday said his side will have to find ways to take on the Lankan spin duo of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis if they have to come back in the second Test. Muralitharan and debutant Mendis shared 19 wickets between them to hand the Indians a humiliating innings and 239-run defeat in the first Test.
In-form Sri Lanka right-hander Kamindu Mendis is another player on the move, with the 26-year-old improving five places to 11th and reaching a new career-high rating after he scored another century in the second Test of his side's recent series with New Zealand.
Images from Day 3 of the second Test between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo, on Saturday.
