India and Tests haven't looked too good together of late, after the trials and tribulations abroad, chief of them in England and Down Under.
You would think, a Test series at Sri Lanka, in more familiar conditions, would be exactly what India need. Well not quite, considering the last time the sub-continental powerhouses won a Test series in Sri Lanka was back in 1993.
There have been drawn series' after that, but no outright, "OK we were the much better team" wins.
In fact, every time you think of a Test series in Sri Lanka involving India, the mind immediately goes to that 2008 series, when Ajantha Mendis made some of the best batsmen ever produced in the game of cricket look like amateurs.
The one Test series in Sri Lanka, after that, was drawn 1-1, with India, to be fair, always dominating the Lankans at home.
However, the fact remains it has been 22 years since India last tasted a Test series victory in Sri Lanka, and there is probably no better time than now to get the better of their neighbours.
Even if Kumar Sangakkara will play the first two Test matches of this three-Test series, this Sri Lanka team are one under transition – the same can be said about India, of course – and on paper, apart from that ridiculously gifted left-hander, there are not too many "oh man, if this guy gets settled, we are in trouble" players, be that in the bowling or batting.
The problem, though, is that India aren't exactly a team on fire, either. In Virat Kohli, India have a new Test captain still learning the ropes and determined to instil his philosophy; then there is a batting lineup which is still to convince and has the penchant for a spectacular collapse; the bowling is not in the greatest of swing either, with the pacers a little hit and miss, while R Ashwin will need to be ably backed by Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra.
Having said that, however, India should have enough ammunition to knock Sri Lanka down over the course of three Test matches and with it take the series.
While, from an India perspective, this contest is about breaking a 22-year hold, for Sri Lanka, this series, or the first two Test matches, will be about bidding goodbye to arguably their greatest ever player.
You cannot speak enough of Sangakkara, the sometimes-criminally underrated batsman, who has scored runs, runs and more runs always in style – the prerequisite for a left-hander -- and that too despite being a wicketkeeper for much of his career.
Having already bid adieu to that other graceful batsman in Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka will wonder how on earth they can fill the void when Sangakkara also walks into that sunset.
However this Test series might unfurl, that second match at the P Sara Oval in Colombo will be one to cherish, to celebrate and to say goodbye to one of the game's greats.
Sri Lanka vs India Test Series Schedule: 12-16 August: 1st Test (10 am local time, 10 am IST, 5.30 am BST, 12.30 am ET) at Galle International Stadium.
20-24 August: 2nd Test (10 am local time, 10 am IST, 5.30 am BST, 12.30 am ET) at P Sara Oval in Colombo.
28 August-1 September: 3rd Test (10 am local time, 10 am IST, 5.30 am BST, 12.30 am ET) at Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo.
