SL vs AUS 2nd Test Toss & Playing 11: Sri Lanka Make Three Changes & Opt to Bat; Australia Hand Debut

Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and elected to bat first in the second Test against Australia at the Galle International Stadium in Galle on Thursday (February 6).

Looking to bounce back from the series opening loss, Sri Lanka has made three changes to their playing 11 with opener Pathum Nissanka, spinner Ramesh Mendis and pacer Lahiru Kumara coming into the side.

The trio of Nissanka, Mendis and Kumara are part of a like-for-like change as they replace top order batter Oshada Fernando, spinner Jefferey Vandersay and pacer Asitha Fernando respectively. This also marks the 100th Test for Dimuth Karunaratne, who has already announced that this will be his last appearance.

After opting to bat first, Sri Lanka captain De Silva said, "Batting first is big in Galle, we need to get some runs, we've planned well. He's been a great captain, has scored a lot of runs and we'll miss him. Three changes for us."

Ramesh Mendis finds a place in the eleven, having been included in the squad just ahead of the second Test. Mendis was initially dropped from the Test squad following a sub-par performance against New Zealand last year. However, following his strong form both with bat and ball in the ongoing first-class Major League Tournament, Mendis has earned back his stripes in the Test squad.

Australia, on the other hand, made one change to their winning combination by handing a debut to all-rounder Cooper Connolly, who comes into the side, adding extra batting depth as a replacement for spinner Todd Murphy.

After being asked to bowl first, Australian captain Steve Smith said, "One change for us, Cooper Conolly makes his Test debut, replacing Tim Murphy. We'll have to go out and bowl well, take our chances and hopefully there'll be some swing with the new ball." Here is a look at the playing XI of both teams:

SL vs AUS 2nd Test Playing 11

Sri Lanka XI: Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhanajaya de Silva (captain), Kusal Mendis (wicketkeeper), Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Nishan Peiris, Lahiru Kumara.

Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (captain), Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Beau Webster, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Matthew Kuhnemann.