While the Indian cricket team is reeling with injuries and absences of players ahead of the IND vs SL Test series, the home side also has been handed worries as two of its key men, Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka, have reportedly gone down.
India and Sri Lanka are set to contest a two-Test rubber from August 15, with matches to be played in Galle and Colombo.
This IND vs SL Test series is crucial for both sides, as it is part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle. In the ICC WTC points table, the two teams are placed in close proximity, India in the 5th position and Sri Lanka in the 6th spot. Both outfits are looking for a lift in their rankings as they aim for a top two finish.
India are already without their main paceman, Jasprit Bumrah, for the entire series, while captain Shubman Gill missed the warm-up match due to a right ring finger. Sai Sudharsan also didn’t feature in the three-day red-ball game against Sri Lankans XI, and a call on his participation in the 1st Test will be taken later.
Washington Sundar is ruled out of the 1st Test, while Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Akash Deep all are out of the entire series.
IND vs SL: Blow For Sri Lanka As Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka Injured Ahead Of Test Series – Reports
Similar concerns have come to grow in the host camp as well. Firstly, wicket-keeper and middle-order batsman Kusal Mendis has reportedly been ruled out of the entire Test series against India owing to a hamstring injury that he sustained last month.
Mendis, Sri Lanka’s white-ball captain and a key cog in the Test team’s middle order, missed a portion of the Lanka Premier League after suffering a right hamstring issue while attempting a run during the Colombo Kaps vs Kandy Royals fixture on 19 July in Colombo.
Mendis was admitted to a rehabilitation program at the SLC’s National High Performance Centre. As per Sri Lankan journalist Nibraz Ramzan, Mendis will purportedly not be fit to play in the Test series against India.
Adding to Mendis’ injury woes, Sri Lanka will reportedly also miss the services of opener Pathum Nissanka for at least the first Test.
Nissanka, who was named the Sri Lanka Cricketer of the Year (men’s) earlier this month, is recovering from a wrist injury that had forced him out of the 2nd Test against the West Indies in the first week of July.
“Kusal Mendis ruled out of the test series against India due to an injury and it is been confirmed that Pathum Nissanka is out of the selection for the first test also due to an injury,” tweeted journalist Nibraz Ramzan.
The potential absence of Mendis and Nissanka against India is a massive dent to Sri Lanka, as the duo have been in a rich vein of batting form. Since the beginning of 2025, Nissanka has been Sri Lanka’s second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket and Kusal their third-highest; the opener has averaged 56 across four Tests in this period while thumping two centuries, whereas the latter has notched up four fifty-plus scores.
Meanwhile, in a move to bring in larger crowds in the stadium, the SLC announced free entry for the IND vs SL Test series for selected gates. The board has endured a dip in the number of fans on the grounds, and thus this move has been implemented for the upcoming series.
“Sri Lanka Cricket warmly invites cricket enthusiasts, young aspiring cricketers, families, and sports fans from across the country to take advantage of this initiative and experience the excitement of international Test cricket between Sri Lanka and India,” the SLC board said in a statement.
Will Shubman Gill play in 1st Test against Sri Lanka?
The India captain Shubman Gill picked up an injury to his right ring finger during a practice session and consequently didn’t take the field in the warm-up match as a precautionary measure. The BCCI said Gill’s injury is being monitored by the medical team, and there has been no update yet regarding his participation in the 1st Test.
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