Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir shared a warm evening with Sri Lankan cricket legend Sanath Jayasuriya ahead of the second and final Test between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo. Gambhir attended a dinner hosted at Jayasuriya’s residence, with former cricketers Sanjay Manjrekar, Farveez Maharoof and Russel Arnold also among the guests.
Sri Lankan journalist Azzam Ameen shared pictures from the gathering on social media, offering fans a glimpse of the informal evening. The dinner took place just two days before the Colombo Test, which begins on Sunday, August 23, at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
Jayasuriya took charge as Sri Lanka’s head coach in 2024, with his tenure eventually ending after the team’s exit from the 2026 T20 World Cup. One of the highlights of his coaching stint was Sri Lanka’s 2-0 ODI series victory over India at home, their first bilateral ODI series win against the Men in Blue in 27 years.
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India, meanwhile, entered the second Test with a 1-0 advantage after registering a convincing 165-run win in Galle. The visitors bowled Sri Lanka out for 206 on the fifth day while defending a target of 372.
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Ahead of the series decider, Gambhir also shared his preference for longer Test series. The India coach believes a three-match series provides both teams with a better opportunity to recover from setbacks and compete for the series result. “Three-Test series is ideal. Short turnaround is fine.”
Gambhir added that India are comfortable managing a tight schedule through workload management, optional training sessions and adequate recovery time for the bowlers. “Ideally, I would want a 3 match Test series.”
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The former India opener also pointed out that losing the first Test in a two-match series leaves the defeated team with limited opportunities to stage a comeback. India will now look to complete a series sweep in Colombo, while Sri Lanka must win to avoid a 2-0 defeat. The result will also have implications for the ongoing World Test Championship campaign, with India currently fifth in the WTC standings on 64 points and a points percentage of 53.33.
