Sarfaraz Khan Earns India Recall as Injured Sai Sudharsan Ruled Out of Sri Lanka Test Series

Squad adjustments and injury setbacks often dictate the early narrative of an overseas tour, and Team India has faced a significant personnel shift ahead of their upcoming red-ball assignment.

As our sports desk here at DailyCricInfo continues tracking developments from the touring camp in Colombo, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that top-order batter Sai Sudharsan has been officially ruled out of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Stepping into the squad as his direct replacement is middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, who earns a much-anticipated recall to the national red-ball setup.

Let us break down the squad changes and what they mean for the visiting side as the countdown to Galle ticks down.

Sudharsan Ruled Out with Toe Injury

Sai Sudharsan has been ruled out of the Sri Lanka Test series after making significant progress in his recovery from a right toe stress reaction at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru. The BCCI Medical Team continues to monitor his recovery closely.

In his absence, Devdutt Padikkal remains part of the squad and provides another option for the top order, including the No. 3 position. However, the BCCI has not officially confirmed the playing XI or identified a primary replacement for Sudharsan in the batting order.

Sarfaraz Khan Answers the Call

To fill the vacancy in the squad, the Men's Selection Committee has turned to Sarfaraz Khan.

Sarfaraz has played six Test matches for India, scoring 371 runs in 11 innings, including one century and three half-centuries. His Test record includes a highest score of 150.

The Mumbai batter also enjoyed a productive 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, scoring 429 runs in nine innings at an average of 53.63.

The BCCI confirmed that Sarfaraz will link up with the Indian squad in Colombo before the team travels to Galle for the opening Test, which begins on August 15, 2026.

Updated India Test Squad

Following Sudharsan's withdrawal, India's revised 15-member Test squad for Sri Lanka is:

• 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

The revised squad is confirmed by the BCCI, with Sarfaraz replacing Sudharsan and Auqib Nabi already having replaced Jasprit Bumrah earlier in the tour preparations.

The first India vs Sri Lanka Test begins at the Galle International Cricket Stadium on August 15, with the second Test scheduled at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo from August 23.

As the team completes its preparations and shifts focus toward the opening clash of the Sri Lanka Test series, stay tuned right here on DailyCricInfo for the latest squad updates, net reports, and match coverage from Sri Lanka.