India skipper Shubman Gill will have some key selection decisions to make ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on August 15, 2026. India are now fifth with four wins, four losses, and one tie from nine matches, and they will be playing in the World Test Championship 2025-27 during the two-Test tour. Shubman Gill will lead India in their bid to improve their WTC standings after being declared fit following a finger infection that sidelined him for part of the team’s warm-up match.
The team has made many adjustments due to injury concerns. Jasprit Bumrah was initially picked but was later pulled out due to a left knee injury suffered in the ODI series against England. Instead, Auqib Nabi came. Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the first Test and has been replaced by Saransh Jain. Sarfaraz Khan will join the Indian team in Colombo before they leave for the first Test in Galle.
The Indian captain praises Gurnoor Brar.
Gurnoor Brar is excellent with the old ball, as he can extract bounce at a good pace. But Prasidh Krishna is bowling well of late, as we have seen in the warm-up match. So it’s a tough call. Jasprit Bumrah is not here, but it’s an opportunity for someone to step up.
Fellow left-hander Sai Sudharsan is unavailable, which means Devdutt Padikkal is likely to take his place at No. 3 and Dhruv Jurel is likely to continue in the middle order under pressure despite his poor returns in the last few Tests. And Gill, who has been Test captain for a full year, feels he is getting better with each game. This series will aim to get the World Test Championship juggernaut back on track, after it went off course in recent months.
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Last Updated on August 14, 2026 by Aditiya Sharma
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