Sri Lanka recall Tillekaratne and Vandort in squad

Colombo, August 11: Sri Lanka's cricket selectors here on Saturday included seasoned left-hander Hashan Tillekaratne in a 16-man squad for next week's first Test against India.

The 34-year-old middle-order batsman, kept out of the side for two years, fought his way back with a string of high scores in domestic cricket. The first of three back-to-back Tests starts in the coastal town of Galle in southern Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Tillekaratne, whose 56 Test appearances are bettered by only spinner Muttiah Muralithatan (62 Tests) and skipper Sanath Jayasuriya (59) in the relatively young squad, will lend solidity to the batting in the absence of veteran Aravinda De Silva.

The prolific De Silva, a regular in the Sri Lankan team for the last decade, was not considered by the selectors after having been dropped earlier from one-day internationals. Young left-hander Michael Vandort, who hit a century against the Indians in the three-day match here, is almost certain to make his Test debut as Jayasuriya's opening partner.

The lanky 21-year-old is expected to get the nod in the playing eleven ahead of the explosive Avishka Gunawardena, pushing Marvan Atapattu to the number three spot.

The selectors picked five seamers and just two specialist spinners in the squad, an indication that the traditionally spin-friendly Galle wicket may have changed its character.

If Sri Lanka start with three seamers, Muralitharan may be the only spinner in the team, although Jayasuriya and Russel Arnold are handy slow bowlers. It will be a toss-up between Kumar Sangakkara and Romesh Kaluwitharana for the wicket-keeper's spot.

India, who will name their playing eleven on Monday, are without injured superstar Sachin Tendulkar, who pulled out of the series due to a hairline fracture on his right toe.

Sri Lankan squad: Sanath Jayasuriya (capt, 32 years, 59 Tests), Marvan Atapattu (30, 44), Avishka Gunawardena (24, 3), Michael Vandort (21, 0), Kumar Sangakkara (23, 9), Mahela Jayawardena (24, 30), Russel Arnold (27, 27), Hashan Tillekaratne (34, 56), Romesh Kaluwitharana (31, 40), Chaminda Vaas (27, 48), Suresh Perera (23, 1), Dilhara Fernando (22, 6), Ruchira Perera (24, 3), Duleep Liyanage (29, 8), Muttiah Muralitharan (29, 62), Thilan Samaraweera (24, 0).