No Nitish, Harshit as injury spoils name of India Test team for Sri Lanka series

Injury-hit India have named their squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, with several regulars unavailable and the fitness of key players still under a cloud.

Shubman Gill will lead the side, with KL Rahul named as his deputy, while the squad features a mix of established names and players looking to make a name for themselves in Test cricket.

However, India will be missing a few of their recent stalwarts due to injury. Nitish Reddy was unavailable for selection after being ruled out of the UK tour with a thigh injury, while Harshit Rana was ruled out just days after returning from a four-month injury layoff.

There is also uncertainty regarding the availability of Sai Sudharsan and Jasprit Bumrah. Both players have been selected in the squad but their participation will be subject to confirmation of eligibility from the BCCI Center of Excellence (COE).

Meanwhile, Washington Sundar was not available for selection for the first Test.

WHAT HAPPENED TO JASPRIT BUMRAH?

Jasprit Bumrah recently returned to action in the ODI series against England. The fast bowler was given an extended rest after the Indian Premier League and did not feature in either the home series against Afghanistan or the T20Is against Ireland and England.

Sources told India Today that Bumrah is on rest till July 30 after which he will report to the BCCI center of excellence. His return date will be assessed after new medical assessments.

GURNOOR BRAR APPOINTED IN TEST SQUAD

The team sees Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel retaining their places as the preferred choice of wicketkeepers.

The pace attack, which is the main concern for India in the series, includes regulars Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Gurnoor Brar, who has done well since his India debut, has been included in the Test squad once again.

INDIAN TEST SQUAD vs SRI LANKA

Shubman Gill (c), KL Rahul (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Jasprit Bumrah*, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishnash, Jadindutt Gurno

*Subject to eligibility confirmation from BCCI Center of Excellence.

With injuries already ruling out Reddy and Rana and fitness concerns around Sudharsan and Bumrah, India head into the Sri Lanka series with several questions yet to be answered ahead of the first Test.

INDIA vs SRI LANKA: MATCH DATES

The Test series between India and Sri Lanka starts on August 15 and ends on August 27. The first match will be played in Galle while the second Test will be played in Colombo. Ahead of the series, India will also play a 4-day warm-up match in Colombo starting on August 7.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

28 Jul 2026 09:11 IST