Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir wants the Test series to be three matches long. He said this on the eve of a second Test against Sri Lanka, with India already 1-0 up after winning the firts Test by 165 runs in Galle.

The argument is about the team in the other position. Lose the first of two and the best you can manage is a drawn series. He would rather have a situation where a side has a chance to come back and win the bilateral assignment.

He gave two examples. India were 0-1 down in Sri Lanka in 2015 and recovered. And the 2020-21 Border-Gavaskar series, where they lost at Adelaide, won at Melbourne, drew at Sydney and won at Brisbane to take it 2-1. “Normally, if you have those three Test matches, it’s always worth it,” he said.

He has no complaint about the tight schedule. “A short turnaround between Tests is fine,” he added. “Other teams are doing that as well.”

The problem is who gets three. Outside India, Australia and England, most Test sides play two-match series, including India’s current opponents. Sri Lanka have six two-match series in this World Test Championship cycle, and South Africa won the last cycle off a comparable schedule.