Big blow for India before Sri Lanka Tests, THIS star gets surprise call-up

Right-handed batter Sarfaraz Khan has been named as a replacement for injured left-handed batter B Sai Sudharsan in India’s squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.

Sarfaraz Khan replaces injured Sai Sudharsan

Sudharsan has been ruled out of the entire two-game series due to a right toe stress reaction. He was undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru. While the BCCI confirmed that Sudharsan is making significant progress in his recovery, he remains unfit to take the field.

BCCI confirms Sai Sudharsan’s Test series absence

“Sai Sudharsan has been ruled out of the Test series against Sri Lanka. 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,” the BCCI said in its official statement.

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Sarfaraz to join India squad ahead of Galle Test

Sarfaraz, who’s adept at handling pacers and spinners, will join Team India in Colombo before the squad travels to Galle for the opening Test, starting on August 15. In six Tests, Sarfaraz has scored 371 runs at an average of 37.1 and highest score of 150.

Sarfaraz’s previous Test and India A experience

He was in India’s squad for the 2024/25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, but did not feature in any of the five games. Sarfaraz was also part of the India A team during the England tour but wasn’t included in the main Test squad for the five-series trip in June-July 2025.

India eye crucial WTC points against Sri Lanka

The second and final Test of the series will be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo from August 23 to 27. Currently at fifth spot on the World Test Championship (WTC) points table, India needs a strong outing against sixth-ranked Sri Lanka to boost their chances of reaching the final.

Updated India squad for Sri Lanka Tests

Updated India Squad: 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.

(With IANS Inputs)