Welcome to the coverage of the first Test match between Sri Lanka and India at the Galle International stadium, in Galle, on Monday.

Virat Kohli's aggressive strategy to deploy five specialist bowlers will be tested when India, looking to end a 22-year-old wait for a series triumph on Lankan soil, go into the first Test.

With rain and thunderstorms forecast through the three-Test series, there is a likelihood that delays and interruptions could ruin play time. But as of now, it is bright and sunny at Galle and things are looking good for an exciting opening day's play.

While the baton was passed on to him from Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Sydney, this is Kohli's first full assignment in-charge after the one-off-Test in Bangladesh.

Kohli has already promised to provide an aggressive brand of leadership and go into Test matches with five bowlers in a bid to take 20 wickets.

His journey as Test skipper begun in Adelaide last December when he stood-in for an injured Dhoni, and led India valiantly to a 48-run defeat, despite two sterling hundreds in both innings.

In Sydney, he was defiant in the mannerism of his team selection, chopping and changing a side worn down by poor form, injury and fatigue.

At Fatullah, he persisted with the five-bowler theory, and also brought back a Test stalwart -- Harbhajan Singh -- to the side.

If pre-series warm-up and practice sessions are anything to go by, in summation, Kohli's strategy will be more or less the same in this series as well.

With Murali Vijay ruled out of the first Test owing to a troublesome right hamstring since the Zimbabwe tour, he will have his task cut out to bring in the young KL Rahul into the playing eleven.

It is after the opening slots that things get interesting, primarily owing to form, but the team management is expected to follow a set template.

At present, among the batsmen, only Ajinkya Rahane is untouchable and he fits in easily at number five.

Rohit Sharma, Kohli himself and Wriddhiman Saha were off colour in the practice match.