Calm India expected to stick with named XI
India named their XI on Thursday but have up until the toss to lock in their side.
The coin flip was not possible on day one due to persistent showers, but while conditions overhead and underfoot could impact tactics, Sridhar believes the XI India have named covers all bases.
"I think the XI which has been announced is an XI that takes the pitch and conditions out of the equation," he said after day one’s washout.
"I think it is an XI which can play and perform on any given surface, in any given weather conditions. Having said that, the toss is not yet over, so if it needs to be taken, a decision will be taken at the time of the toss.”
If they stand by their original plan, India’s XI is as follows: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma.
How do India players handle pressure?
While day one was awash, a full five days’ play is still on the cards thanks to the inclusion of a reserve day on Wednesday.
Sridhar is confident the experience within the side has them well equipped to handle the challenges that come with inclement weather.
“To keep them in a good mental space, that is something that is very important because they are going to be on and off the field with the weather so they will have to know how to keep their concentration going, switching on, switching off.
“That is something all the players are aware of, they are a very experienced bunch of players. They have played a few finals, won a few tournaments and played a few Test matches, each one in that XI. So they all know how to do it and are in a good frame of mind, a good space.”
He sees a silver lining in the opening day being rained out entirely.
“Today being a complete washout, there is no mental challenge really because tomorrow is going to be the first day of the Test match. We'll go in as we go into any new game, so that's not a real big challenge for the boys.”