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Shubman Gill's Team India are missing at least 5 first-choice cricketers for the two-match Test series vs Sri Lanka including Sai Sudharsan and Jasprit Bumrah.
Gujarat Titans all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of Sri Lanka series with injury. (Photo: IANS)
India vs Sri Lanka 2026 1st Test: Team India have a major injury crisis with at least 5 first choice players ruled out of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka beginning in Galle on Saturday. Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana and finally Sai Sudharsan ruled out due to injury. Questions are now being raise over the injury management going on at BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE).
One Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official is alleging that cricketers are getting injured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to pressures from franchise owners as well as financial pressures. As a result the CoE is facing the task of managing the fitness of these international cricketers quite challenging.
"Too much cricket. The human body has its load limits. Overuse and stress injuries, especially in older players, are unpredictable in terms of return to play. Players play through injuries during IPL due to franchise and financial pressures and then are dumped onto unsuspecting COE physios. The team physios and COE physios are competent and conscientious, and are keeping player safety as their top priority. This, of course, makes it difficult for selectors, coaches, and captains," a source from BCCI's CoE was quoted as saying by ANI news agency.
The comments from a BCCI source came on the sidelines of a press conference at the CoE in Bengaluru on Sunday, where head VVS Laxman addressed the media alongside BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia and BCCI President Mithun Manhas.
Gujarat Titans batter Sudharsan was the latest cricketer to join the injury list. Sudharsan was ruled out of the series after failing to recover from a big toe injury sustained during the second India 'A' Test against Sri Lanka A last month. He scored two centuries in the two 'A' multi-day games before being hit on the toe and has since been undergoing rehabilitation at the CoE in Bengaluru.
Bumrah was ruled out after failing to recover from a left knee niggle sustained during the second ODI against England in Cardiff last month. Jammu and Kashmir seamer Auqib Nabi, 29, has replaced him in the Test squad.
Rana, meanwhile, is recovering from a Grade 1 biceps femoris muscle strain sustained after his return from a major right knee ligament injury and surgery that kept him out for four months. He subsequently missed the 2026 T20 World Cup and IPL 2026.
Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Reddy is recovering from a left quadriceps injury that forced him to miss India's recent white-ball tours of Ireland, England and Zimbabwe. He suffered the injury while bowling against Afghanistan in the home ODI series in June.
GT all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the first Test due to a hamstring injury, while Akash Deep remains unavailable after suffering stress reactions in his back.
India's two-Test series against Sri Lanka begins in Galle on August 15.
India's Test squad for Sri Lanka
Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Auqib Nabi, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal and Saransh Jain
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