India batter Sarfaraz Khan is likely to replace injured Sai Sudharsan in the squad for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, according to a BCCI source cited by ANI.
“Sarfaraz Khan is likely to replace injured Sai Sudharsan in the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka,” the source said.
Sudharsan has been undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and has taken part in batting and fielding drills, but is unlikely to regain full fitness in time for the opening Test in Galle on Aug. 15.
The batter did not travel with the Indian squad to Sri Lanka and missed the ongoing three-day warm-up against Sri Lanka Cricket XI in Colombo.
India are also dealing with an injury concern involving captain Shubman Gill, who suffered an impact injury to his right ring finger during a practice session on Thursday.
“As a precautionary measure, he will not take the field on Day 1 of the warm-up game against SLC XI. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress. KL Rahul will lead the team in Gill’s absence,” the BCCI said in a statement on X.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has already been ruled out of the series as he continues to recover from a left knee injury sustained during the ODI series against England. The selectors have included Aquib Nabi as his replacement.
India will also be without Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy because of hamstring and quadriceps injuries respectively, while Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the first Test with a hamstring problem.
Akash Deep remains unavailable as he recovers from stress reactions in his back.
The two-Test series will form part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle. India are currently fifth in the standings with four wins and four losses from nine matches and a points percentage of 48.15.
