India have named their squad for the Test series in Sri Lanka, handing a maiden call-up to Saransh Jain and welcoming back Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah.
Jain rewarded for domestic form
Jain, 25, earns his place after strong displays in domestic cricket and on the recent India A tour of Sri Lanka. His first-class record stands at 2,223 runs and 188 wickets from 54 matches. He comes in because Washington Sundar has been ruled out with a hamstring injury picked up during the ODI series against England.
Jadeja returns after recovering from tennis elbow, bringing experience and balance, and Bumrah’s return bolsters the pace attack. Both will be important in Sri Lankan conditions as India try to start the new World Test Championship cycle well.
Schedule and context
The first Test begins on August 15 at the Galle International Stadium, and the second follows on August 23 at the SSC in Colombo. India will first play a four-day practice match in Colombo from August 7.
The tour is India’s first assignment of the new WTC cycle, following a 2-0 home defeat by South Africa last November. Before that, India drew a Test series 2-2 in England and won 2-0 at home against the West Indies. They currently sit fifth in the WTC standings, with Sri Lanka sixth.
The squad
Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal and Saransh Jain.
