This will be Sri Lanka’s first time to play a test in Nagpur, whilst India have played five previous tests on the ground, winning three, and drawing and losing one each of the other two matches.
After the loss of nearly 2 days play in the first match in Kolkata, players and fans alike will be hoping that there will be no interruptions due to weather, with the Nagpur pitch expected to be very green, having been prepared with India’s forthcoming tour of South Africa in mind.
Going into the match, India would appear to hold a distinct psychological advantage over Sri Lanka, having come close to snatching an improbable victory in the final session of the first game, as the visitor’s top and middle order collapsed.
Only time and the onset of bad light saved the Sri Lankans from losing a match they had appeared to be in control of until the final day.
The home side will make two changes at least. Opener Shikar Dhawan has chosen to take a break for personal reasons, and his replacement will be Murali Vijay. Also missing will be pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar who is getting married, with the experienced Ishant Sharma set to take his place.
The Sri Lankans are expected to replace pace bowler Lahiru Gamage who performed poorly on a seamer-friendly wicket at Eden Gardens, conceding 156 runs across two innings, with just a solitary wicket to show for his efforts.
The choice of his replacement would appear to be between left-armed Vishwa Fernando if they decide to go with a three-man pace attack, or chinaman Lakshan Sandakhan if they prefer to include an extra spinner.
However, it is likely that the key to Sri Lanka getting anything out of the match lies with their batting.
If they managed to perform as well as the likes of Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal managed in their first innings in Kolkata, then it promises to be a good contest. However, if they perform as they did on the last afternoon at Eden Gardens, then they could get overwhelmed by India.
What will be interesting to watch is if Sri Lanka can take advantage of