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Team India celebrated the nation's 80th Independence Day by hoisting the Tricolour in Galle on Saturday, ahead of the opening Test against Sri Lanka.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video where head coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Shubman Gill of the Indian team, along with other team members, participated in the flag-hoisting ceremony. "On the occasion of Independence Day, #TeamIndia gathered at Galle to hoist the Tricolour ahead of the First #SLvIND Test," BCCI wrote on X. https://x.com/BCCI/status/2088471167401414980?s=20 Meanwhile, India will become the first Asian team and only the third side after England and Australia to play 600 Tests when the first Test of the two-match series gets underway on August 15, India's Independence Day. Earlier, Gill, who took over as India's Test captain last year, interacted with the media on the eve of the Test match and said the opportunity to lead India in such a significant match made the occasion even more special. "It's a very big honour and privilege. Any Test match that you captain for your country is a huge deal. Obviously, leading my country in our 600th Test match is a big honour and privilege for me, and doing that on Independence Day is even more special for us," Gill said at the pre-match press conference. India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship 2025-27 standings after four wins, four defeats and a draw from nine matches; Gill acknowledged the importance of the Sri Lanka series in India's bid to reach the final. The second test of the series is also significant for Sri Lanka, who is currently sixth in the WTC standings. "Obviously, the main goal is to play in the World Test Championship final, which is next year. We have played about nine Tests in this cycle, and I think we have to win around six or seven more to have a good chance at qualifying. In terms of that, I think this is a very important series for us, and we have had the right kind of preparation leading up to it," he said. India Test Squad: Shubman Gill (c), KL Rahul (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Auqib Nabi, Sarfaraz Khan. Sri Lanka Test Squad: Dhananjaya De Silva (captain), Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Kamindu Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Sonal Dinusha, Niroshan Dickwella, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Keshara Nuwantha, Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, and Dilshan Madushanka. (ANI)
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