The 26-year-old, who will be captaining the side in a full series for the first time, said it is going to be a competitive series as both India and Sri Lanka are currently in the rebuilding stage.

"It is going to be a very competitive series from the aspect that both sides have young players who have performed well," he said.

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Former skipper Kumar Sangakkara will retire after the second Test at Galle and Kohli said it would present a big challenge to Sri Lanka.

India has not won a Test series in Sri Lanka since 1993 but Kohli said he would not be paying any attention to this fact and will look to play good cricket.

"When I came here to play the first ODI series I was told that India had not won a ODI series for 25 years. I felt no pressure then. We are here to play good cricket, every series for us is a part of our plan we want to put in for the next five to six years," he said.

Sri Lanka go into the series after a dismal home series against Pakistan, where they lost in all three formats of the game.

This will be India's first three-Test series in the subcontinent since their 1-1 draw in Sri Lanka five years back.