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Sri Lanka are all set to host Australia for a 2-match Test series, scheduled to begin on January 29 in Galle. The Islanders are entering the Test battle with some recent setbacks, having lost 0-2 in their previous tour of South Africa. The Sri Lankan team will be looking to bounce back strongly at home, but they faceജ a tough challenge in the form of the visitors, Australia.
Australia, on the other hand, come into this series on the back of a dominant performance against India, where they won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 3-1, showcasing their formidable strength in the longest format. With the two teams coming off different results, this se꧋ries promises to be an exciting contest.
Steve Smith confirms Australia’s opening pair
Ahead of the first Test, Australian captain Steve Smith hꦉas confirmed the opening pair. While Usman Khawaja was somehow an obvious choice, the issue was regarding the ideal partner for Khawaja. Smith, however, confirmed the opening pair in the form of Khawaja and attacking batter Travis Head.
Smith highlighted Head’s impressive✃ performances in India, where he handled the new ball well, even putting spinners under pressure with his aggressive approach.
“Trav (Travis Head) will go to the top, outside of that I think it will be pretty stable. He did really nicely in India against the new ball. He put spinners under pressure immediately, and we know how well he hits the seam as well if they come with that. It’s going to be good fun watching him,” said Smith ahead of the first Test.
Also READ: SL vs AUS 2025, 1st Test: Pit꧅ch Report, Test Stats and Records at Galle Inte▨rnational Stadium
Smith stays tight-lipped about the full playing XI
While Smith was clear about the opening pair, he chose not to reveal the complete playing XI💛 for the match. The Australian captain emphasi🌳zed that the team management will assess the conditions closely before making any final decisions.
“We’ll wait and see what we get, probably the morning of the game, and then go from there. But things can change pretty quickly, this part of the world, the sun hasn’t been out a great deal. So, we’ll have another look at the wicket, and then from there, we’ll name a team at toss,” Smith added.
