Sai Sudharsan ruled out of Sri Lanka series; Mumbai’s Sarfaraz Khan named replacement 

Sai Sudharsan has been ruled out of the Test series against Sri Lanka after failing to recover in time from a toe injury sustained during India A’s tour of Sri Lanka last month.

The left-handed batter, who has been at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru, has made significant progress in his recovery from the right toe stress reaction and is recovering well. The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring his progress, says a BCCI release.

https://x.com/BCCI/status/2086456482321793462?s=20

The left-hander had established himself as India’s No. 3 in the recent Test series and was in excellent form, scoring two centuries in as many unofficial Tests. However, he was struck on the toe during the second match against Sri Lanka A and has been undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru since then. Despite making significant progress, Sudharsan has not recovered sufficiently to return to Test cricket for the upcoming series.

The men’s selection committee has named Sarfaraz Khan as a replacement for Sai Sudharsan for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.

Sarfaraz Khan has an outstanding first-class average of 64.73 from 62 matches, but his opportunities for India have remained limited.  Pics: BCCI

He will link up with the Indian squad in Colombo before the team travels to Galle for the first Test match, starting August 15, 2026.

The Mumbai batter was last picked for India during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy but has been out of the selectors’ plans since then. His wait for another opportunity now comes to an end, with Sarfaraz back in the squad for the Sri Lanka Tests.

The 28-year-old last played for India in November 2024 against New Zealand. His century in the opening Test in Bengaluru was one of the few bright spots for India in an otherwise disappointing series, as the hosts suffered a historic 3-0 whitewash at home.

Sarfaraz has an outstanding first-class average of 64.73 from 62 matches, but his opportunities for India have remained limited. Despite consistently producing strong numbers in the Ranji Trophy over the years, he has managed just six Test appearances for the national team.

He has also undergone a significant fitness transformation this year, shedding considerable weight and working hard to get into better shape. He had faced criticism over his fitness in the past, but his transformation has now helped him return to the Test setup at a crucial stage.

India’s updated squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka: Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi, Sarfaraz Khan.