Sarfaraz Khan replaces the injured Sai Sudharsan in India's Test squad to face Sri Lanka
Sudharsan continues his recovery at the Bengaluru COE after sustaining a toe injury on the India A tour
Sarfaraz's previous international absence stemmed from a mix of home-series form and unverified dressing room leak reports
India's Tour Of Sri Lanka: Sai Sudharsan Ruled Out Of Test Series With Toe Injury; Sarfaraz Khan Named Replacement
Sarfaraz Khan makes a much-anticipated return to the Indian Test squad after a lengthy absence, following a dedicated period spent addressing fitness standards and sharpening his red-ball game
Summary
Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan has been called up to the Indian squad for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka starting August 15, stepping in as a replacement for the injured Sai Sudharsan
The left-handed Sudharsan sustained a toe injury during the India A tour last month and is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru.
The BCCI stated that Sudharsan has made significant progress in his recovery, with the medical team closely monitoring his rehabilitation.
"The men's Selection Committee has named Sarfaraz Khan as a replacement for Sai Sudharsan for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka," BCCI said in a release.
"He will link up with the Indian squad in Colombo before the team travels to Galle for the first Test match, starting August 15, 2026." The 28-year-old Sarfaraz has played six Tests for India, his last being a game against New Zealand in Mumbai in 2024.
India's updated 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.
Sarfaraz Khan Coming Out Of Controversial Exclusion
Sarfaraz Khan was part of the Indian touring party during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, though he did not feature in any of the five Test matches.
Sarfaraz Khan’s stint on the Australia tour was marred by controversy behind closed doors, following reports that head coach Gautam Gambhir accused the young batter of leaking confidential team discussions and internal dressing room speeches to the media during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
While these unverified internal allegations and subsequent scrutiny over team discipline severely damaged his standing with the team management—resulting in him spending the entire series on the bench and failing to secure further selection—critics and fans widely questioned the narrative, viewing it as an attempt to shift blame away from senior leadership following a dismal team performance.
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(Using PTI Inputs)
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