Indian Team Left for Sri Lanka: The Indian team left for Sri Lanka for the Test series, but one player remained in India. So let's find out why this happened.
IND vs SL Test
IND vs SL Test: The two-match Test series between India and Sri Lanka begins on August 15th. Before that, Team India will play a warm-up match against Sri Lanka XI on August 7th. The Indian team departed for Sri Lanka from Mumbai on Tuesday (August 4th) for the series. However, it's worth noting that only 14 of the 15 Indian players left for Sri Lanka. One player remained in India.
This player is none other than left-handed batsman Sai Sudarshan. He was not spotted at the airport with the team. Now, the question arises: why did Sudarshan not travel with the Indian team? Let us tell you that when announcing the squad, the BCCI stated that Sudarshan and Jasprit Bumrah 's participation in the series would depend on their fitness. Bumrah failed the fitness test, and the Indian board included Aaqib Nabi in the squad as his replacement, but questions remain about Sudarshan.
Even when announcing Bumrah's replacement, the BCCI stated that Sudarshan's participation would still depend on his fitness. It will be interesting to see what decision the BCCI makes regarding Sudarshan.
Looking at Sudarshan's Test career, he has played seven matches so far. Batting in 12 innings, he has scored 383 runs at an average of 31.91, including three half-centuries. His highest score was 87.
India's squad for the Sri Lanka Test series
Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Sai Sudarshan (playing subject to fitness)*, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnur Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Aaqib Nabi.
India-Sri Lanka Test Series Schedule
3-day warm-up match from August 7: India vs Sri Lanka XI
First Test: August 15-19 (2026), Galle International Stadium, Galle
Second Test: August 23-27 (2026) at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo
