India start in Colombo at 10am. Australia already lead in Mackay.

India play Sri Lanka in the second Test at the SSC, Colombo, from 10:00 IST on Sunday. The toss had not happened when this was written. This is a preview, not a Day 1 report.

India won the first Test in Galle by 165 runs. Manav Suthar took ten wickets in the match. ESPNcricinfo's preview says Sri Lanka have not won a series anywhere against India, England or Australia in ten years, and have not beaten India anywhere since 2008. They last beat India in a Test in 2015. Since then: nine losses, two draws.

Sri Lanka are without Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis and the concussed Dinesh Chandimal. They have left out Nishan Madushka and Ramesh Mendis. Kamil Mishara is in line for a debut. The same spinners who were outbowled in Galle stay. India are likely to keep Kuldeep Yadav for one more game after one wicket in Galle.

The other Test is already moving. This is not Darwin. It is the second Australia-Bangladesh Test, at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay, Australia's 12th men's Test venue. Australia won the toss and fielded. Bangladesh made 64, their fourth-lowest Test total. Mitchell Starc took 6 for 12. Shoriful Islam took 6 for 35. Australia were 165 for 8 overnight, a lead of 101, with Cameron Green unbeaten on 51. By the first session of Day 2 they were all out for 210. Bangladesh, in their second innings, were 9 for 2, trailing by 137. Starc had two more wickets. Bangladesh won the Darwin Test by nine wickets.

The ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 still pays 12 points for a win, 4 for a draw, 0 for a loss. Rankings use points won as a share of points on offer. ESPNcricinfo's table, after Galle and Darwin, and before Colombo and Mackay finish:

Australia 9 matches, 84 points, 77.78 percent. South Africa 4, 36, 75.00. New Zealand 6, 52, 72.22. Bangladesh 5, 40, 66.67. India 10, 64, 53.33. Sri Lanka 5, 20, 33.33. England 14, 50, 29.76. West Indies 12, 30, 20.83. Pakistan 7, 16, 19.05.

A win in Colombo would take India to 76 points from 132, or 57.58 percent, the figure in the ESPNcricinfo preview. That only jumps the queue if Bangladesh drop Mackay. A Bangladesh loss would put them on 40 from 72, or 55.56 percent.

India cannot treat Colombo as a dead rubber. Fifth at 53.33 percent is still a long way from a 2027 final. New Zealand and Australia are still on the calendar. A draw here is a wasted 12-point bag.

Mackay is the other lever. Bangladesh sat fourth after Darwin. Eighteen wickets on day one have put that rank back in play. Australia, even after Darwin, still sit first. A win in Mackay would push their percentage higher. A loss would drag it toward 70.

First, the Colombo toss. Then whether Suthar and the India seamers can do on a drier SSC pitch what they did in Galle. In Mackay, Bangladesh have to bat a second time already. Twelve points are sitting on two grounds at once.