India Names Sarfaraz Khan as Replacement for Injured Sai Sudharsan Ahead of Sri Lanka Test Series

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially named middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan as the replacement for the injured B Sai Sudharsan for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Sai Sudharsan has been sidelined due to a right toe stress reaction and has been receiving treatment at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, where he has reportedly made significant progress in his recovery.

Sarfaraz Khan made his Test debut in 2024 and has since played six Test matches, scoring 371 runs that include one century and three fifties. Despite being part of India’s squad for the 2024-25 tour of Australia, he did not participate in any matches, and he was subsequently omitted from the squad for the England tour last year. In the 2025 Ranji Trophy season, Sarfaraz was the third-highest run-scorer for Mumbai, accumulating 429 runs at an average of 53.62 over seven matches, with a first-class average of 64.73, placing him among the top performers with at least 50 innings.

India is currently facing several injury challenges ahead of the Sri Lanka tour, with key players like Jasprit Bumrah and Washington Sundar also ruled out. In a recent tour match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI (SLC XI), captain Shubman Gill did not bat in the first innings as a precautionary measure, according to India’s spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule. Gill returned in the second innings to score 44 runs off 54 balls, aiding India in sealing a win on the final day of the match.

“It was just a precaution more than anything else,” Bahutule stated after the tour game. He emphasized that Gill is in good form and has been training well, reiterating that the decision not to bat him in the first innings was merely a safety precaution. His performance in the second innings demonstrated that he is fully prepared for the Test series.

The two-match Test series against Sri Lanka is slated to begin on August 15 in Galle, with the second Test set for August 23 at the SSC in Colombo. This series forms a part of the World Test Championship (WTC), where India is currently positioned fifth after four victories and four losses from nine matches.

The Indian squad for the series includes: Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi, and Sarfaraz Khan.

Special Credits: Image Courtesy of Espn