Fitness of several players, including senior allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, is set to be the central point of the selection meeting on Monday when India squad for next month’s two-Test tour of Sri Lanka will be picked.
Outside of Jadeja, the biggest question marks are around the fitness of Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana. Jadeja has been recovering from a tennis elbow, which he picked up during IPL 2026, and there’s still no official word on his recovery or availability.
Rana, who had returned to action after missing the 2026 T20 World Cup and the IPL with a knee injury, suffered a hamstring injury in the middle of the T20I series in England. His last Test was against Australia in Adelaide in December 2024. Washington missed the third ODI against England with a hamstring injury and was replaced in the squad by Harsh Dubey.
The availability of spin-bowling allrounders Jadeja and Washington could impact the balance of the squad going to Sri Lanka. The presence of several left-handers in the Sri Lanka side could prompt the selectors to consider offspinning allrounder Saransh Jain, who was impressive for India A in the second four-day game against Sri Lanka A in Galle where he picked a combined six wickets and scored 70* in the first innings.
The selection panel will also get an update on Jasprit Bumrah, who was ruled out of the Lord’s ODI against England due to an impact injury to his left knee in the second ODI in Cardiff as a precautionary measure. Bumrah, though, is likely to be fit for the Sri Lanka tour. He has shouldered a heavy workload in recent months, having played the T20 World Cup and IPL, and the team management will be mindful of his fitness with a packed Test calendar ahead. He was rested for the one-off Test and ODI series against Afghanistan in June as well as the T20Is against Ireland and England.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was ruled out of Ireland and England tours with a quadriceps injury, is unlikely to be fit for the series.
The Test squad is unlikely to contain other surprises, with KL Rahul set to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, and captain Shubman Gill to slot in at No. 4. Sai Sudharsan, who made his Test debut last year, is likely to retain his place given his recent performances for India A, while Devdutt Padikkal is also in contention. Rishabh Pant will be the first-choice wicketkeeper and Dhruv Jurel the reserve keeper.
The pace attack is expected to be led by Bumrah (if available), alongside Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Gurnoor Brar has strengthened his case with an impressive outing against Sri Lanka A, where he claimed a match haul of 10 wickets in the second four-day game. He also made his senior India debut during the ODI series against Afghanistan.
Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are expected to spearhead the spin attack, while left-arm spinner Manav Suthar is likely to retain his place after taking seven wickets on Test debut against Afghanistan in June. Harsh Dubey, who had a prolific domestic season, could also come into contention if Jadeja or Washington is unavailable.
The first Test begins on August 15 in Galle and the second on August 23 at the SSC in Colombo.
The series in Sri Lanka is India’s first in the World Test Championship cycle since the 2-0 home defeat to South Africa in November. Before that, they had drawn a five-Test series in England 2-2 and beaten West Indies 2-0 at home. India are fifth in the WTC standings, while Sri Lanka are in sixth place.
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