Former Sri Lankan star predicts India's spin trio and warns of Pant's impact

Analyzing the upcoming Test, former Sri Lankan cricketer Farveez Maharoof suggested India might deploy three spinners, with the young left-arm pacer Manav Suthar potentially earning a place over uncapped off-spinner Saransh Jain. With veteran Ravichandran Ashwin out of contention and Washington Sundar sidelined, the likely spin core would be Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, complemented by either Suthar or Jain. Maharoof emphasized Suthar’s knack for extracting bounce on Sri Lankan surfaces, which often aid spinners through pace rather than turn.

He also warned that wicket-keeper-batter Rishabh Pant remains a dangerous game-changer, even after low scores in the Colombo warm-up, and predicted Sri Lanka would field two frontline spinners plus two part-timers to contain him. Overall, Maharoof expects a balanced Indian attack of three spinners and two seamers.