Sri Lanka ne apni 18 sadasya wali team ka ailan kar diya hai Bangladesh ke khilaaf pehle Test ke liye, jo World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 ka aagaz karega. Arre bhai, yeh bhi koi badi baat hai? Har baar ki tarah, bade bade naam, badi badi baatein, aur phir bhi result wahi purana – ek team jeetegi, doosri haregi. Lekin thodi der ke liye is squad ke baare mein baat karte hain, aur dekhte hain ki kya yeh series kuch naya la sakti hai ya phir wahi purani kahani dohrayegi.
Sri Lanka ki team: Naye chehre, purani ummeedein
Sri Lanka ne apne 18 sadasya wali team mein kaafi naye chehre shamil kiye hain. Dhananjaya de Silva, jo team ke kaptaan hain, ke saath Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, aur Kusal Mendis jaise naam hain. Lekin asli maza toh tab aaya jab unhone Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Pavan Rathnayake, aur Isitha Wijesundara jaise naye khiladiyon ko mauka diya. Yeh teeno apna Test debut kar sakte hain, aur yeh baat dilchasp hai. Sri Lanka ka cricket toh pichle kuch saalon se thoda upar neeche chalta raha hai – kabhi jeet, kabhi haar. Yaad hai 2019 mein jab unhone South Africa ko unke ghar mein 2-0 se hara diya tha? Kusal Perera ki woh 153* wali innings ab bhi yaadgaar hai! Lekin ab yeh naye khiladi kya rang dikhayenge, yeh dekhna hoga.
Dusri taraf, ek bada naam, Angelo Mathews, is series ke baad Test cricket se sanayas le rahe hain. Yeh ek bada jhatka hai, kyunki Mathews ka experience aur shanti se khelne ka tareeka team ke liye hamesha ek taakat raha hai. Lekin shayad yeh naye khiladiyon ke liye ek mauka hai apne aap ko saabit karne ka. Lahiru Kumara bhi squad mein hain, lekin chot ke wajah se pehla Test miss karenge. Ab yeh toh wahi baat hai – jab team ko zarurat ho, tab koi na koi chot ke wajah se bahar. Par Sri Lanka ke paas Asitha Fernando aur Kasun Rajitha jaise pace bowlers hain, jo Galle ke spin-friendly pitch par bhi apna jalwa dikha sakte hain.
Bangladesh: Chhota sher, bada dhamaka
Ab baat karte hain Bangladesh ki, jo shayad is series mein underdog ke roop mein utarti hai. Najmul Hossain Shanto ke neetritva mein yeh team Galle mein 17 June se shuru hone wale pehle Test mein khelne utregi. Bangladesh ne bhi apni 16 sadasya wali team ka ailan kiya hai, jismein Litton Das aur Ebadot Hossain jaise khiladi wapas aaye hain. Ebadot, jo do saal se chot ke wajah se bahar the, ab wapas hain, aur unka yeh comeback kitna kamaal karta hai, yeh dekhna hoga. Yaad karo 2022 ka woh Test jab Bangladesh ne New Zealand ko Mount Maunganui mein 8 wickets se hara diya tha – woh bhi unke ghar mein! Ebadot ne us match mein 6 wickets liye the, aur shayad woh wahi form yahan bhi dikhaye.
Bangladesh ka middle order bhi kaafi solid hai, Mushfiqur Rahim aur Mominul Haque jaise experienced khiladiyon ke saath. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, jo team ke vice-captain bhi hain, spin bowling aur batting dono mein yogdaan dete hain. Yeh team shayad paper par Sri Lanka se thodi kamzor dikhti hai, lekin cricket mein kabhi bhi kuch bhi ho sakta hai. 2021 mein Bangladesh ne Sri Lanka ko unke ghar mein ODI series mein 2-1 se hara diya tha, toh yeh team chhoti nahi hai jab baat dil se dil tak jati hai.
WTC ka naya cycle: Ek nayi shuruaat
Yeh series WTC 2025-27 ka pehla kadam hai, aur dono teams ke liye yeh ek mauka hai apne aap ko points table mein upar le jane ka. Sri Lanka pichle cycle mein sixth aur Bangladesh seventh position par the, toh dono hi teams is baar behtar karna chahegi. Galle ki pitch, jo spin ke liye jani jati hai, Prabath Jayasuriya aur Taijul Islam jaise spinners ke liye swarg ho sakti hai. Lekin yaad rahe, 2017 mein Galle mein Australia ke khilaaf Sri Lanka ne 229 runs se jeet haasil ki thi, jisme Rangana Herath ne apne spin ka jaadu chala diya tha. Kya is baar bhi aisa hi kuch hoga?
Dono teams ke liye yeh series ek nayi shuruaat hai. Sri Lanka apne ghar mein hai, toh un par thoda zyada dabav hoga, lekin Bangladesh ke paas khone ke liye kuch nahi hai. Agar Bangladesh ke naye aur purane khiladi ek saath chalne lage, toh yeh series ek upset ka kaaran ban sakti hai. Yeh dekhna dilchasp hoga ki kaun si team apne aap ko pehle saabit karti hai – kya Sri Lanka apne ghar ke faayde ka uthayegi, ya Bangladesh ek aur yaadgaar jeet churayegi?
Aakhir mein thodi si chinta
Lekin chalo, thodi si sachchai bhi sun lo. Cricket ke is daur mein, jab T20 leagues duniya bhar mein chhaye hue hain, kya yeh Test matches utna hi josh la payenge? Sri Lanka aur Bangladesh dono hi teams apne star players ke saath naye khiladiyon par bharosa kar rahi hain, lekin kya yeh naye chehre purane dikhauon ka muqabla kar payenge? Aur yeh WTC cycle, jo itna lamba hai, kya fans ka dhyan akhir tak rakh payega? Bas yeh sochkar dil thoda sa baith jata hai ki shayad yeh series bhi ek aur aam si kahani ban kar reh jayegi, jisme ek team jeetegi, aur doosri ke fans social media par rone lagenge.
