IND vs SL 1st Test | 'We’re just trying to focus on our strengths...': Sri Lanka’s head coach Gary Kirsten

Gary Kirsten. Pic/AFP

[popcorn number="37.5" desc="India's winning percentage in Tests in Sri Lanka; they have won nine out of 24 games, lost seven and drawn eight" class="Default"]

[popcorn number="2008" desc="The year SL last won a Test series against India at home; the island nation have drawn one and lost two series since then" class="Default"]

Sri Lanka's head coach Gary Kirsten is well versed with the finer nuances of Indian cricket, having spent three years with the team and having guided MS Dhoni's side to the 2011 ODI World Cup title, yet the South African is reluctant to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the Shubman Gill-led visitors who will take on the Lankans in a two-Test series, starting in Galle on Saturday.

"I'm not here to judge the Indian team. We're just trying to focus on our strengths, what we can do well in the Test match, make sure we prepare well and understand what we want to do. Let the game unfold; the conditions will determine the way we set up our strategies and also the situation in the game. We back our skills to be able to take advantage of that momentum," Kirsten told mid-day during a virtual interaction with select media, organised by Sony Sports Network on Thursday.

Sri Lanka players celebrate a wicket during the second Test against WI in Antigua last month. Pic/AFP

Gill's India and the Dhananjaya de Silva-led Sri Lanka, who are ranked fifth and sixth respectively in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, will play the second Test in Colombo from August 23.

Kirsten, who took charge of the Sri Lankan team last April, made his plans clear: "There is a lot that needs to be done, but in the end, I'd like to help this [Sri Lanka] team become a top-four nation, and compete with the best cricket teams in the world."

Indian players warm up during a training session in Galle on Thursday. Pic/PTI

Kirsten admitted that India will be a tough team to tackle. "They [India] are a very successful team with a lot of depth. We're aware of that in our preparations and how we want to play against this team. India is a quality team and we need to make sure that we're up to the task in the execution of our skills and also in our strategy of how we're going to play against them," added Kirsten, 58, a veteran of 101 Tests and 185 ODIs.

The coach stressed on the significance of playing it session by session. "Games can be won and lost in one session. And in a two-match series, the series can be lost in one session. So, you've got to concentrate all the way through. You can't lapse too much, because it could be series-defining. We're aware that we need to be doing well at home. And we need to have success in terms of that long-term play of the WTC. And as we build that up, it allows us to know that we can play different ways and win games," Kirsten explained.