Sarfaraz Khan has replaced Sai Sudharsan in the India squad for the two-match Test series in Sri Lanka. Sai Sudharsan was struggling with a toe injury he picked up during the India A tour of Sri Lanka in July 2026. He was rehabilitating at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru, and initial reports suggested that he may get fit in time for the Test series; however, that was not the case to be.
The BCCI said that Sudharsan has made significant progress in recovery from the right toe stress and is recovering well, however, he is not fit enough to play the Test series. The BCCI said the medical team will continue to monitor his progress, and named Sarfaraz Khan as his replacement for the series.
” has been ruled out of the Test series against Sri Lanka. The left-handed batter, who has been at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru, has made significant progress in his recovery from the right toe stress reaction and is recovering well,” said BCCI.
“The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring his progress. The Men’s Selection Committee has named as a replacement for Sai Sudharsan for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. 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 board release stated.
Devdutt Padikkal Front Runner To Replace Sai Sudharsan
Sarfaraz played just two series for India after making his debut in 2024. He had a great series against England and scored his maiden century against New Zealand. But a couple off failures meant that he was dropped from the team, which many felt was harsh on him. He was picked in the India squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, but didn’t get a chance to play.
The same could be the case in Sri Lanka, with Devdutt Padikkal front-runner to take Sai Sudharsan’s place in the XI. Sudhsarsan bats at No.3 for India, and Padikkal has already established himself at a reliable top-order batter. Sarfaraz, meanwhile, bats in the middle order, which is already packed.
India’s updated squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka: 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