Sarfaraz Khan is likely to replace the injured Sai Sudharsan in India’s squad for the two-Test series in Sri Lanka, which starts in Galle on August 15.
Sudharsan misses the tour
A BCCI source quoted by NDTV Sports said Sarfaraz is expected to come in, and the board is expected to confirm it formally. Sudharsan had been rehabilitating at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, taking part in batting and fielding sessions, but was not judged fit to travel. He also missed the three-day warm-up against a Sri Lanka Cricket XI in Colombo, which began on August 8.
A growing injury list
Captain Shubman Gill hurt his right ring finger in training and sat out the first day of the warm-up as a precaution, with KL Rahul leading the side. The BCCI medical team is monitoring him.
Jasprit Bumrah is out of the whole series with a left-knee problem sustained during the ODI series against England, and Auqib Nabi has been named as his replacement. Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy are unavailable through injury, Washington Sundar will miss the first Test with a hamstring problem, and Akash Deep is still recovering from stress reactions in his back.
WTC implications
The series is part of the 2025–27 World Test Championship, and each result affects points percentage and the chance of reaching the final. India are fifth under Gill, and a series win would help. They must now manage a depleted squad while aiming for a strong start in Galle.
