India coach Gautam Gambhir said he was pleased with the rise in younger players ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka on Sunday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
India hold a 1-0 lead in the two-match series and a victory in Colombo will help keep hopes of reaching the World Test Championship final alive.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Young batsman Devdutt Padikkal, playing his third Test, was one of the stars of India's comprehensive 165-run win in Galle, scoring 167 and 44.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Spinner Manav Suthar, in his second appearance for India, claimed a match haul of 10 wickets.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Extremely satisfying to see these younger players getting an opportunity and them delivering straight away," Gambhir told reporters, but added that there is "still a lot of work to be done".<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"You can't judge players by only one or two performances," he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
While India are ranked number one in ODIs and T20Is, their fortunes in Test cricket have been less impressive, having lost a home series to South Africa last year and another to New Zealand before that.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Gambhir said there is no cause for concern and that the team is going through a "transition in Tests".<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I have believed that for the last one year we have done reasonably well," he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The former India opener also made a case for three-match series, arguing that two-match contests leave little room for a team to recover from an early setback.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva said top-order batter Kamil Mishara was likely to make his Test debut in Colombo.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mishara, a left-handed batsman who has already represented Sri Lanka in white-ball cricket, has been a prolific run-scorer in first-class cricket in recent seasons.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sri Lanka, who suffered a 1-0 series defeat in the West Indies earlier in the year, are in dire need of a win to keep their World Test Championship campaign afloat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"These are two evenly matched sides and we expect to put up a good performance in this Test," de Silva said.<\/p>\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gautam-gambhir-urges-focus-on-trophies-after-indias-t20-world-cup-2026-win.jpeg", "alt_img": "Gautam Gambhir", "alt_title": "Gambhir Hails India\u2019s Young Stars Ahead of Sri Lanka Test", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "Gambhir Hails India\u2019s Young Stars Ahead of Sri Lanka Test On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "India coach Gautam Gambhir praises young stars Devdutt Padikkal and Manav Suthar ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.", "seo_keywords": "Gautam Gambhir, India Vs Sri Lanka, Devdutt Padikkal, Manav Suthar, Sri Lanka Test, World Test Championship, India Cricket", "tag": null, "tagging": "Gautam Gambhir,India Vs Sri Lanka,Devdutt Padikkal,Manav Suthar,Sri Lanka Test,World Test Championship,India Cricket", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "gambhir-hails-indias-young-stars-ahead-of-sri-lanka-test", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "1", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "13", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2026-08-22 22:35:27", "updated": "2026-08-22 22:35:27", "img_from": "Image Source: Google", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "Gautam Gambhir, India Vs Sri Lanka, Devdutt Padikkal, Manav Suthar, Sri Lanka Test, World Test Championship, India Cricket", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "0", "google_feed": "0", "read_more": "1", "posted_by": "1", "jio_date": "2026-08-22 22:35:27", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "1", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": "Select", "article_content_type": "Latest Cricket News", "england_cricket": "0", "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/gambhir-hails-indias-young-stars-ahead-of-sri-lanka-test-202637" }