Hamstring forces India’s Murali Vijay out of Galle Test against Sri Lanka

India's Murali Vijay, centre, has strained a hamstring that will keep him out of the first Test at Galle against Sri Lanka. Eranga Jayawardena / AP Photo

India opener Murali Vijay will miss the first Test against Sri Lanka with a hamstring injury, team director Ravi Shastri said on Monday.

Vijay, 31, sustained the injury in Zimbabwe during India’s recent limited-over series there and did not bat in either innings of India’s only warm-up match ahead of the Galle Test that begins tomorrow.

“Murali Vijay will not be fit for the first Test,” Shastri said.

“He has not fully recovered and we don’t want to take a chance, especially with weather like this, slippery outfield and things like that.”

In his absence, Shikhar Dhawan is set to open the innings with the 23-year-old Lokesh Rahul, who has played only two Tests.

“It’s a big blow,” Shastri said of the injury to Vijay, who averages 41.75 after 32 Tests and is one of India’s most consistent batsmen in recent times.

“He is the in-form player, and had a fabulous run in Test cricket. He has the ability to play the long innings, as he has shown.

“He will be missed.”

Shastri was coy about the chances of Cheteshwar Pujara, once considered an automatic selection at No 3 before a slump in form set in.

“We will have to play the best five batsmen, if he fits into that five, he plays, if he doesn’t, he doesn’t play,” the former India Test player said.

India go into the series hoping to end a 22-year wait for a Test series win in Sri Lanka.

They have played four series on the island since, losing in 2001 and 2008 while drawing in 1997 and 2010.

The five-year gap since their last series means that 11 of the 15 tourists, including skipper Kohli, have not played a Test match on Sri Lankan soil and will face a step into the unknown in Galle.

Vijay and bowlers Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra, are the exceptions, although several others in the squad have played limited-overs games in Sri Lanka.

Kohli is determined to make a winning start in his first full series as captain after taking over from MS Dhoni in Australia last year.

India will be relieved at playing Test cricket in familiar subcontinental conditions after losing four series in succession, in South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia.

“We are here to play good cricket,” Kohli said, downplaying India’s disappointing overseas record. “History and records are sidelined when the focus is on playing good cricket. For us, every series is part of the plan to build a really strong unit that will continue to play for a long time.

“The prime focus is to back ourselves to execute our skills and have a really competitive side.”

The focus for the home side is on Kumar Sangakkara, who will retire from international cricket after the second of the three Tests in the series at Colombo later this month.

“We have to be patient with this side,” Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said.

“The best farewell we can give Sanga is by being competitive and playing to the best of our abilities.

“The results will take care of themselves.”

Follow us on twitter at