Injuries to several first-choice and key players have meant that the Indian cricket team has not been able to field its best XI in any match since the conclusion of the IPL 2026.
The same will be the case for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka away from home because Jasprit Bumrah, arguably the world’s best all-format fast bowler, is missing the tour owing to a left knee issue.
Further, Washington Sundar is ruled out of the first Test due to a hamstring injury, while Harshit Rana, Akash Deep, and Nitish Kumar Reddy were unavailable for selection on account of their respective injuries.
B Sai Sudharsan didn’t travel with the squad and missed the warm-up match against Sri Lankans XI, and reports have suggested the left-hander will miss the 1st Test as he won’t be able to recover completely by August 15, when the series kicks off in Galle.
More woes for the visitors have been added this week.
IND vs SL: Will Shubman Gill play in the 1st Test?
Captain Shubman Gill’s participation in the 1st Test is unclear at the moment. Gill sustained a right ring finger during practice and consequently missed the first two days of the warmup match, the BCCI said, as a precautionary measure, with the medical team monitoring his progress.
Vice-captain KL Rahul led the team in the warm-up fixture. If Gill misses out from the 1st Test in Galle, Rahul will get the opportunity to captain India again. Rahul has previously captained in three Test matches, of which India won two and lost one.
Further, Devdutt Padikkal, who creamed a century in the warm-up match, would walk into the side if Gill misses out on the first Test.
With India also sweating over Sai Sudharsan’s fitness for the Galle Test, Dhruv Jurel, who featured in the one-off Test match against Afghanistan, is the likeliest choice to fit in the lineup.
In the bowling department, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Siraj are set to lead the attack. One of Prasidh Krishna or Gurnoor Brar is likely to feature as the second seamer, unless the visitors go extreme with four spinners.
To complete a five-match attack, India have the choice of Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain. Suthar is a left-arm spin all-rounder who bagged the Man of the Match on his Test debut against Afghanistan, while Saransh is an off-spinning all-rounder who came into the squad in Sundar’s absence and could be used to target Sri Lanka’s left-handers. At the moment, it feels that Suthar will get the nod over Jain in Galle.
India do not have many batting backups in their squad, so the BCCI may fly in someone as an additional squad member if both Padikkal and
IND vs SL: India Playing XI For 1st Test If Shubman Gill Gets Ruled Out – Predicted
- KL Rahul (C)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Sai Sudharsan* (subject to fitness)
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Rishabh Pant (wk)
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Dhruv Jurel
- Manav Suthar/Saransh Jain
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Mohammed Siraj
- Prasidh Krishna/Gurnoor Brar
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