Sri Lanka didn't have the best of preparations for the T20 showpiece as they were whitewashed 0-3 by England in a home T20 series. Ireland will be led by veteran Paul Stirling and feature key players like Harry Tector and Josh Little.
Left-arm spinners, all-rounders, and pacers who mastered their craft and left a mark in Test cricket.
Along with Hasaranga, Sri Lanka have Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana among spin bowling options.
Sri Lanka will look to build on their perfect start in Asia Cup when they take on a struggling Hong Kong in Dubai on Monday.
A look back at a few memorable showdowns in the last decade and half that had the quintessential crests and troughs of Test cricket.
Sachithra Senanayake has been indicted by the Hambantota High Court for attempting to lure a fellow player for match-fixing during the 2020 Lanka Premier League.
Since making debut in 2009, Angelo Mathews has turned up in 118 Tests, scoring 8167 runs -- the third-highest tally for Sri Lanka.
1983 World Cup winning former India all-rounder Madan Lal urged Virat Kohli to reconsider his retirement and return to Test cricket.
For years, the cricket world has speculated about a supposed rift between star spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh, fueled by Ashwin's ascension in the Indian team as Harbhajan's career wound down.
Players from the other teams who could push the Men in Blue to the limit.
Glimpses from Sri Lanka's presidential election, the first polls since the island's economic crisis, in Colombo and Jaffna, September 21, 2024.
'His glove work defied convention. Dhoni's technique behind the stumps was unorthodox, yet extraordinarily effective.'
In India's previpus tours of England, Rahane and Pujara have amassed 864 and 870 runs in 16 Test matches, respectively.
Questions will remain as to why he ended his Test career at the age of 36, despite being one of the fittest cricketers, and why he didn't wait to cross the 10,000-run mark, observes veteran cricket correspondent K R Nayar.
Following his match-winning spell and century against Bangladesh in the first Test, Indian all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin opened up on idolising legendary spinner Harbhajan Singh during his junior-age cricket days and replicating his bowling action during matches.
Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in as Sri Lanka's ninth president on Monday, amid hopes that he will bolster the country's economy and eliminate corruption.
'The Indian government is better prepared this time and has reached out to all contenders and not putting all eggs in one basket.'
Between 2014 and 2019, he scored 21 centuries in just 55 Tests. Among these were seven double centuries, the most by an Indian in Test cricket. Remarkably, six of those double tons came within a span of just 22 Tests.
'Dear @ashwinravi99, your cricketing achievements have brought joy to 1.4 billion Indians. Wishing strength and well-being to your family during this challenging time.'
While Herath has been appointed for Tests against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka as New Zealand's spin bowling coach, Rathour will be with the Kiwi side only for the contest against Afghanistan.
Sri Lankans celebrated Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation as president, but they will understandably be concerned about the outcome of Wednesday's presidential election.
The protests seem unlikely to end until the people's anger and grievances with the leaders who have brought Sri Lanka to economic ruin are redressed.
For India to view the new Sri Lankan leadership only through the prism of the past or through their narrow view on China, is fraught with possibilities that should be avoided, asserts N Sathiya Moorthy.
'If there is a push towards a Marxist oriented government it will be dangerous.' 'We have seen this in Nepal and Myanmar and it will be a concern for India if it is surrounded by countries with such political dispensations.'
A nationwide strike, April 28, 2022, demanded the resignation of Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his cabinet, amid the country's economic crisis.
This is the first time in 44 years that Sri Lanka's parliament has directly elected a president.
As angry protests calling for Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's resignation grew, supporters of Sri Lanka's ruling party stormed a protest site in Colombo on Monday, attacking anti-government demonstrators and clashing with police.
Former Sri Lanka cricketer Sachithra Senanayake was on Wednesday arrested over match-fixing allegations.
The SLC said in a statement on Tuesday that an independent committee had recommended a full lifting of the ban on Gunathilaka with "due consideration to his cricketing career and its impact on the cricketing ambitions of the nation".
Suspended by the ICC for "political interference", Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will soon introduce a new law to curb meddling of any sorts by people with considerable influence in the corridors of power.
Priyantha Kumara was murdered by Pakistani fundamentalists last Friday, provoking civil society protests in Lahore and Karachi against the horrific crime.
Indian opener Devdutt Padikkal on Thursday confirmed he will be out of action for three to four weeks owing to a fracture he sustained in his thumb.
"No petrol, no gas, no milk powder, no electricity", "Go home Gota", placard carrying protestors were then seen walking towards the Rajapaksa private residence in Colombo at Pangiriwatte Lane.
'We have to keep a watch because India-Sri Lanka has a history that whenever there has been a change in government, either the connectivity projects have been questioned or cancelled or revived.'
Sri Lanka's Gunathilaka cleared of sexual assault charge in Australia
Images from the second One-Day International between India and Sri Lanka, in Colombo, on Tuesday.
As the protests in Colombo against Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa continued on Tuesday, elsewhere on the island -- in southwestern Rambukkana -- police opened fire at anti-government protestors, killing at least one person and injuring 13 others.
'The economic crisis hit us from nowhere. No one saw it coming.'
Scoring a career-best 193 in the season opener against Punjab, Padikkal has been a prolific run-scorer, amassing 556 runs in six innings at an average of 92.66. His newfound consistency includes three centuries, showcasing his ability to bounce back from adversity.
A unique protest has been launched by protestors in Sri Lanka with underwear placed on the temporary metal barriers erected to block protesters at the main entrance to the island's parliament.
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