“The only thing I have to tell Niroshan Dickwella is to keep well. That’s why he’s in the team.” Dhananjaya de Silva minced no words as he responded to probing questions on the recall of 33-year-old Dickwella to the Sri Lanka Test squad. With no other wicketkeeper-batter selected – Dinesh Chandimal now bats at No. 3 and does not keep wicket in Tests – Dickwella is almost certain to be named in the XI on Saturday.

There are few players in Sri Lanka who polarise opinion like Dickwella, and this week his detractors have pointed to his record – primarily the batting average of 31 after 96 Test innings – and asked vociferously why younger players were not given a chance.

This is an especially heated conversation, because both of this year’s top scorers in the domestic four-day competition were wicketkeeper-batters. But the selectors have overlooked Sadeera Samarawickrama (who averaged 77 in the competition) and the uncapped Anjala Bandara (who averaged 61).

It was Dickwella’s keeping that swayed the selectors as they weighed their options on the injured Kusal Mendis’ replacement, de Silva explained.

“Dickwella had to leave the Test squad over the last few years because Kusal Mendis went to No. 7, and Kusal has played well there in the last few years so Dickwella didn’t get a chance to come back,” he said. “But when you play at Galle, the most important thing is that the player with the best glovework plays.”

With the track in Galle expected to be flatter than usual, it will be especially important that Sri Lanka convert their wicket-taking opportunities. In any case, Dickwella will play this Test under an especially unforgiving spotlight.

“The decision to recall Dickwella is one we had with the coach and selectors, and they all agreed,” de Silva said. “We did have the chance to give an opportunity to another player, but as the keeper with the best glovework, Dickwella came through.”

De Silva was also forced to defend the selection of Lahiru Kumara, who over a nine-year career has repeatedly broken down during Test matches. He bowled only one over in the first Test against West Indies in June before going off the field with a hamstring injury that ended his tour.

The last time India played Sri Lanka in 2022, Kumara had picked up an injury mid-spell, and left the field on the first day of play in Mohali. Sri Lanka lost both those matches by an innings and plenty.

“As a country and as a team, we don’t have a huge pool of players that we can experiment with,’ de Silva said. “Right now in Sri Lanka, there’s no bowler who can replace Lahiru Kumara in the squad.

“He’s the fastest bowler we have playing red-ball cricket. Unfortunately, he got injured in the West Indies, and a series that we could have won became a 1-0 defeat. Hopefully, he will use that as motivation and he will do something big for us in this series.”