Test match against India starts from scratch, says Sangakkara - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

On the eve of the second Test match against India, Sri Lankan cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara said that this match would start from scratch since the first Test match was drawn. He said while interacting with the media persons at the Green Park Stadium in India's northern city of Kanpur on Monday (November 23). The second Test match will be played from November 24 at this stadium. Despite being reduced to 32 for four inside the first hour on the opening day and later conceding a first innings lead of over 300 runs to Sri Lanka, India battled to a draw in the first Test that was played at Ahmedabad. "Not really, of course we would have loved to win it but that's the way Test cricket goes. India played very well to get out of it with a draw. Here we go we start again from scratch. We got to do everything all over again," said Kumar Sangakkara, skipper of Sri Lankan cricket team. Further he noted that Sri Lanka is going to the second Test match with a positive frame of mind. "We just got to see if there is anything different in the wicket and then adjust accordingly. I think mentally we can't relax, we got to keep challenging, trying and......to make sure we keep doing what's required ...us for the team in every single session we go out there and play," added Sangakkara. The hosts will try to defend their unbeaten series record at home against Sri Lankan side in the second match. Sri Lanka have not won any of their 15 Tests in India since 1982, but held the early advantage in Ahmedabad after left-arm Chanaka Welegedara helped reduce India to 32-4 on the first morning. Meanwhile, injured Sri Lanka pace bowler Dhammika Prasad will miss the second Test against India whereas opener Tillekaratne Dilshan is expected to play despite suffering a broken nose. Prasad, 26, picked up a hamstring strain on the final day of last week's high-scoring drawn first test in Ahmedabad and will not be considered for the second contest of the three-match series. Sri Lanka is playing three Tests, five one-day internationals (ODIs) and two Twenty20 matches during their two month-long tour of India.