India vs Sri Lanka live stream and how to watch the 1st Test cricket online

 India batsman Virat Kohli in batting action
(Image credit: Getty Images / Stu Forster)

The hotly anticipated 1st Test between India and Sri Lanka begins at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium in the small hours tomorrow. Having thrashed Sri Lanka 3-0 in the T20I, India will be targeting a second clean sweep in what will be Virat Kohli’s 100th Test.

Aussie viewers can watch the 1st Test free on Channel 7 but the online live stream is available on Kayo Sports (14-day free trial). Follow our guide to get a free India and Sri Lanka live stream from wherever you are, with a VPN.

India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test

Date: 4th - 8th March 2022

Start time: 4am GMT / 11pm ET (Thurs) / 2pm AEDT / 9.30am IST

FREE stream: Kayo Sports 14-day free trial (Aus)

Watch from overseas: ExpressVPN

US stream: Willow | Sling (3-day free trial) 

UK stream: Sky Sports / Now

India stream: Disney+ Hotstar

The 1st Test will also be India's first Test under newly appointed full-time skipper Rohit Sharma after Virat Kholi stepped down following the team's 2-1 series defeat to South Africa. Sri Lanka will be led by Dimuth Karunaratne. No rain is expected in the Punjab, so the pitch will be on the dusty side.

The early team news is in and Shubman Gill and Hanuma Vihari will be hoping to shine in the absence of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, who were dropped in the wake of Kholi's departure. Virat Kholi will be hoping to score his 71st century in his 100th Test, while spin duo R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will be out to bamboozle the Sri Lankans.

The two-match Test series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23. Sri Lanka are currently sitting pretty at the top of the standings with a PCT of 100 after two wins in two matches. India is currently 5th with a PCT of 49.07 after winning just four out of nine matches.

The 1st Test between India and Sri Lanka starts off at 4am GMT / 9.30am IST on Friday, 4th March 2022. Read on to find out how you can watch a free India vs Sri Lanka live stream from wherever you are in the world.

India vs Sri Lanka free live streams

Kayo

(Image credit: Kayo)

Channel 7 has the rights to air India vs Sri Lanka on TV in Australia, but it will not be available online on 7Plus. Instead Aussie fans can stream the action live on Kayo Sports with a 14-day free trial

Going to be outside Oz during India vs Sri Lanka? Simply use a VPN to access Kayo Sports from overseas, without being blocked. We recommend ExpressVPN as it comes with a 30-day, risk-free money-back guarantee.

Watch India vs Sri Lanka live stream from overseas using a VPN

Even if you have subscribed to the relevant India vs Sri Lanka rights holders, you won't be able to use them when outside your own country. The service will know your location based on your IP address, and will automatically block your access. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) helps you get around this obstacle.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. As a rule, we’d suggest a paid-for service such as ExpressVPN which offers a 100 per cent risk-free money back guarantee. If you're not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days

<a href="https://go.expressvpn.com/c/4550836/1330033/16063?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fexpressvpn.com%2Fgo%2Fwatch-live-cricket%3Foffer%3D3monthsfree%26a_fid%3D744" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"">Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days
ExpressVPN hits it for six with a 30-day money back guarantee with its VPN service. You can use it to watch on your mobile, tablet, laptop, TV, games console and more. There's 24/7 customer support and three months free when you sign-up.

Watch an India vs Sri Lanka live stream in USA

Sling TV interface

(Image credit: Sling TV)

Willow TV has the rights to air the 1st & 2nd Tests between India and Sri Lanka in the States, but there's plenty of options for those without cable.

Sling TV is your best bet – and new users get a 3-day free trial.

Sling TV 3-day free trial for Test cricket

Sling TV <a href="https://sling-tv.pxf.io/c/221109/1132376/14334?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sling.com%2F" data-link-merchant="sling.com"">3-day free trial for Test cricket
Catch all the action on Sling TV and enjoy your first three days for free. It's $35 a month thereafter should you choose to continue. Willow TV is an add-on but you can get the first month for only $5 ($10 a month thereafter). No contract. Cancel at any time.

India vs Sri Lanka live stream in India

Disney+ Hotstar

(Image credit: Disney+ Hotstar)

Disney+ Hotstar is the place to stream live coverage of the 1st Test between India and Sri Lanka on 4-8th March 2022. 

Opt for the Premium subscription and you'll get access to live cricket plus original Disney+ content (in English) for Rs 499 (around £5/$7) per month, or you can take out an annual subscription for Rs 1499.

It's only available within India but you can access your Hotstar account from anywhere using a VPN. We recommend ExpressVPN because it comes with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

India vs Sri Lanka live stream in the UK

Sky Sports has the rights to the India vs Sri Lanka Tests in the UK. Sky subscribers can watch every ball live on Sky Sports Cricket from Friday 4th March 2022.

Not a Sky subscriber? A Now Sports pass pass gets you instant, contract-free access to all 11 Sky Sports channels. It's £9.99 for a Day Pass or £33.99 for the month, but you might spot the odd discount.

India vs Sri Lanka Test cricket schedule

1st Test: 4th-8th March 2022 一 Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali 一 4am GMT / 9.30am IST 

2nd Test: 12-16th March 2022 一 M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru 一 4am GMT / 9.30am IST

India vs Sri Lanka squads

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jayant Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Kona Bharat (wk), Umesh Yadav, Saurabh Kumar, Priyank Panchal

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Dhanajaya De Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dushmantha Chammeera, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Lasith Embuldeniya, Vishwa Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Lahiru Kumara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pathum Nssanka, Jeffrey Vandersay, Praveen Jayawickrama,  Chamika Karunaratne.

India's Rohit Sharma on the 1st Test in Mohali

"It is going to be challenging, there will be a lot of pressure, but that is where you will build a lot of character. You will see some champion cricketers coming out from this situation. If you thrive under pressure, you turn out to be a solid cricketer for the future. At the moment it is important that we try and stay in the present and think what we can do in this Mohali Test and then move forward from there."

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