Sri Lanka suffer another injury blow

For the second match in a row, Sri Lanka will need to beat the world's No.1 Test side with just 10 fit players after suffering another injury blow in Colombo on Friday.

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Pace spearhead Nuwan Pradeep, who took a five-wicket haul in the opening Test against India in Galle last week, has been ruled out for up to two months after suffering a hamstring injury early in the second Test.

The right-armer bowled 17 overs on the opening day before leaving the field after four balls of his 18th over, his first with the second new ball.

He did not return to the field at all on Friday and opener Dimuth Karunaratne confirmed after play the seamer had been ruled out for "for one or two months".

It comes after batsman Asela Gunaratne suffered a hand injury on the opening morning of the first Test, ruling him out of the remainder of that match and the rest of the series.

The impact of veteran spinner Rangana Herath in Galle was also cruelled by a finger injury, although he recovered in time to take the field in Colombo. Skipper Denesh Chandimal missed the first Test due to pneumonia, but he too has taken his place in the side for the second Test.

In the immediate term, the loss of Pradeep means Sri Lanka will have no frontline pacemen to call on for the remainder of the match in Colombo. Medium-pacer Karunaratne, who had bowled just two overs in 40 Tests prior to this week, was required to bowl eight overs in India's first innings and picked up his maiden international wicket.

But he couldn't prevent India from taking a stranglehold on the match as they racked up 9-622 declared and reduced the hosts to 2-50 by stumps on the second day. India lead the three-match series 1-0.

The injury to Gunaratne in Galle led Chandimal to call on the International Cricket Council to allow substitute players when a match-ending injury occurs early in a game.

Chandimal said there should be allowances for a replacement who is permitted to bat and bowl when an injury occurs within the first 60 minutes of play.

"Asela got injured in the first session itself and we badly missed him throughout out the match,” Chandimal told The Daily Observer.

"I am not saying this because our team would have been benefited but in future also all other teams if meet this situation would welcome it.”

The ICC is currently considering the introduction of concussion substitutes in first-class cricket. In May, the body’s influential Cricket Committee recommended amendments to the ‘Classification of Official Cricket’ to allow countries to run a two-year trial of concussion substitutes in first-class cricket.

Cricket Australia has already introduced concussion substitutes for domestic limited-overs matches, but it requires approval from the ICC to implement it in the Sheffield Shield in order for the competition to retain its first-class status.