The BCCI has announced India’s Test squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja returns to the side, while spin all-rounder Saransh Jain earns his first Test call-up. Shubman Gill will lead the team, with KL Rahul as his deputy.
Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and batter Sai Sudharsan have both been named in the squad, but whether they play will depend on fitness clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE). Nitish Kumar Reddy has been left out after failing a fitness test, and Washington Sundar is already ruled out of the first Test with a hamstring injury. The series begins on August 15 in Galle.
Saransh Jain’s India Test Squad Call-Up Rewards Domestic Form
Saransh Jain, a spin all-rounder from Madhya Pradesh, has been rewarded for his recent performances with India A. On a tour of Sri Lanka, he scored an unbeaten 70 and picked up six wickets in the second four-day match. Across 54 first-class matches, the off-spinner has scored 2,223 runs at an average of 31.75 and taken 188 wickets, numbers that made him hard to ignore for selectors.
Batting Order Stays Largely Unchanged
India have made few changes to their batting line-up. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the innings, with captain Shubman Gill batting at number four. Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal are also part of the squad. Rishabh Pant will keep wicket, with Dhruv Jurel as the reserve keeper.
In the spin department, the team will rely on Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, along with Manav Suthar, who took seven wickets on Test debut. For pace, the responsibility falls on Jasprit Bumrah (once fit), Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Gurnoor Barar, who picked up ten wickets in a four-day match against Sri Lanka A, is also a strong contender for a place in the playing eleven.
India’s Long Unbeaten Run Against Sri Lanka
India and Sri Lanka have played 17 Test series so far. India have won 10 of them, Sri Lanka just 3, with 4 series drawn. Sri Lanka have not beaten India in a Test series in 18 years — their last series win came in 2008.
The upcoming series is also India’s first overseas Test series in the current World Test Championship cycle. India are currently fifth on the WTC points table, with Sri Lanka one place below at sixth. The second Test will be played in Colombo from August 23.
Why This Squad Selection Matters
This squad tells two stories at once. One is about form and fitness — Jadeja’s return after nine months out, and Bumrah’s continued workload management, point to how carefully India are now balancing their fast-bowling resources ahead of a packed international calendar. The other is about depth. Uncapped players like Saransh Jain and Gurnoor Barar getting a genuine shot reflects how strong India’s domestic and India A pipeline has become, giving selectors real options instead of forced choices. For a team starting a new WTC cycle away from home, that depth could matter as much as the star names on paper.
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