Kulasekara suffered a groin injury during the course of the first ODI match at Hambantota on Saturday. India won the match by 21 runs but bad news continued to flow into the hosts' camp as Kulasakara's injury was soon ruled to be serious enough to have him out of series. He injured himself while attempting to take a Virender Sehwag catch. His five overs in the match earned him a wicket however.
His replacement in Pradeep will make his ODI debut, having made his Test debut against Pakistan last year. The right-arm bowler was also part of Sri Lanka A that recently toured Zimbabwe.
The second match, between Sri Lanka and India, will be played on Tuesday.