Sri Lanka and Australia will be renewing their Test rivalry this week. The second Test of the ongoing two-match series will be played from Thursday (February 6) at the Galle International Stadium, Galle.

Sri Lanka will be desperate to bounce back after suffering their heaviest Test defeat in the first game. The visitors thrashed Sri Lanka by an innings and 242 runs in the series opener at the same venue last week. Australia outplayed Sri Lanka in all the departments and will be looking to make the most of the momentum.

With both teams gearing up for the crucial second Test, here is the preview for the 2nd SL vs. AUS Test.

SL vs AUS Match Preview- 2nd Test, Australia tour of Sri Lanka 2025:

SL vs AUS 2nd Test Date and Venue:

The second SL vs AUS Test will be played from Thursday (February 6) at the Galle International Stadium, Galle.

Squads:

Sri Lanka:

Dimuth Karunaratne, Oshada Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva(c), Kusal Mendis(w), Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nishan Peiris, Sonal Dinusha, Lahiru Udara, Milan Priyanath Rathnayake

Australia:

Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith(c), Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey(w), Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Cooper Connolly

SL vs AUS key battles:

Usman Khawaja vs Prabath Jayasuriya:

Usman Khawaja starred with the bat in the first Test for Australia. He and Travis Head gave Australia a brilliant start by adding 92 runs for the first wicket. After Head and Labuschagne departed quickly, Khawaja put Australia in the driver’s seat by sharing huge stands with Steve Smith and Josh Inglis.

The left-handed batsman went on to score a brilliant 232 runs. Khawaja has done extremely well in Asia in recent years and will be eyeing a similar performance in the second Test as well. Sri Lanka knows that they cannot afford another Khawaja masterclass with the bat and will be relying on Prabath Jayasuriya for his wicket.

The spinner dismissed Khawaja in the first Test and will be fancying his chances in the upcoming Test as well.

Steve Smith vs Jeffrey Vandersay:

Steve Smith led the team from the very front in the first Test. Leading the side in the absence of Pat Cummins, the former Australia captain scored a brilliant century. He scored 141 runs and also shared a 266-run stand with Usman Khawaja for the third wicket that put Australia in command.

Smith will be eyeing another good outing in the second Test. Sri Lanka will be hoping that Jeffrey Vandersay dismisses Smith once again. The spinner dismissed Smith in the first Test and will be eyeing more success against him.

Dinesh Chandimal vs Nathan Lyon:

In a Test where most of Sri Lanka’s batters disappointed, their former captain Dinesh Chandimal managed to provide some resistance. He was Sri Lanka’s top-scorer in the first innings, scoring 72 runs before scoring 31 runs in the second innings.

The former Sri Lanka captain would be looking to make the most of his form and score big in the second Test. Chandimal has the ability to deliver match-winning performances and will be keen to do so. Australia, on the other hand, will be relying on Nathan Lyon to contain Chandimal. Lyon dismissed Chandimal in both the innings of the first Test and will be fancying his chances again.

SL vs AUS Key Players

SL – Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis, and Prabath Jayasuriya will be the key players for Sri Lanka.

AUS – Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Steve Smith, Matthew Kuhnemann, and Nathan Lyon will be the key players for Australia.

SL vs AUS Weather And Pitch Report:

There is no prediction for rain during the second Test in Galle. As far as the temperature is concerned, it will be hovering in the late 20s throughout the game.

Talking about the pitch, it is expected to assist the spinners once again. The ideal time to bat on the pitch is definitely the first two days. Both teams will be looking to bat first and score big before letting their spinners capitalize on the deteriorating pitch.

Conclusion:

While the ongoing series lacks the WTC context, there is still a lot to play for in the upcoming SL vs AUS Test. Australia are eyeing their first Test whitewash in Asia in almost two decades while Sri Lanka will be desperate to avoid a first home series defeat against Australia since 2011.