Binny back for India

India performed 5 specialist bowlers within the 1st Test – with Harbhajan Singh and Varun Aaron not being as efficient as their captain would have favored.

All-rounder Stuart Binny will join Team India ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka. There are two more matches to go, both in Colombo, one at the P Sara Oval and the other at the Sinhalese Sports Club. The fact that nobody has been injured suggests that Binny’s inclusion as the 16th member of the squad is a tactical decision – a modification required by the failure of captain Virat Kohli’s 5-bowler strategy in the 1st Test.

Opening batsman Murali Vijay, who missed the first Test due to with a hamstring niggle, is expected to return for the second Test starting in Colombo on Thursday.

It comes as a surprise because there have been no fresh injury concerns with the players in the squad, but it has been learnt that Binny is just an addition.

Binny, who has featured in three Tests for India, is a viable option for batting at number six, and his services can be used as a fifth bowler as well. The Test is also the last time Kumar Sangakkara plays worldwide cricket for Sri Lanka. He has, however, not taken any wickets in the 32 overs he has bowled in the five-day format.