India, Aug. 14 -- India will step into a landmark occasion when Shubman Gill leads the side out against Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle on Saturday, with the match marking the 600th Test in the country's cricket history. The series opener, scheduled from August 15 to 19, will make India only the third team to reach the 600-Test landmark, after England and Australia. It also arrives at an important stage of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, with Gill's side looking to revive their push for another appearance in the final.

India will be without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who was ruled out of the two-Test series because of a knee injury, while Sai Sudharsan has also been withdrawn and replaced by Sarfaraz Khan. The absence...