For a given data set the problem of selecting either Lindley or xgamma distribution with unknown parameter is investigated in this article. Both these distributions can be used quite effectively for analyzing skewed non-negative data and in modeling time-to-event data sets. We have used the ratio of the maximized likelihoods in choosing between the Lindley and xgamma distributions. Asymptotic distributions of the ratio of the maximized likelihoods are obtained and those are utilized to determine the minimum sample size required to discriminate between these two distributions for user specified probability of correct selection and tolerance limit.For last one decade, Lindley distribution (Lindley, 1958) has drawn attention of the researchers for modeling survival or reliability data sets. Its properties are explicitly studied by Ghitany et al. (2008) and is shown quite flexible in modeling time-to-event data sets. Several authors have suggested significant extensions and variations of Lindley model, see for example,