Sarfaraz Khan has made his return to India’s Test squad as an injury replacement for Sai Sudharsan ahead of the upcoming two-match series against Sri Lanka. The Mumbai batter was last picked for India during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy but has been out of the selectors’ plans since then. His wait for another opportunity now comes to an end, with Sarfaraz back in the squad for the Sri Lanka Tests.
“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 BCCI stated in an official media release on Sunday.
The 28-year-old last played for India in November 2024 against New Zealand. His century in the opening Test in Bengaluru was one of the few bright spots for India in an otherwise disappointing series, as the hosts suffered a historic 3-0 whitewash at home.
The Mumbai batter has an outstanding first-class average of 64.73 from 62 matches, but his opportunities for India have remained limited. Despite consistently producing strong numbers in the Ranji Trophy over the years, he has managed just six Test appearances for the national team.
{{/usCountry}}The Mumbai batter has an outstanding first-class average of 64.73 from 62 matches, but his opportunities for India have remained limited. Despite consistently producing strong numbers in the Ranji Trophy over the years, he has managed just six Test appearances for the national team.
{{/usCountry}}Sarfaraz has also undergone a significant fitness transformation this year, shedding considerable weight and working hard to get into better shape. He had faced criticism over his fitness in the past, but his transformation has now helped him return to the Test setup at a crucial stage.
What ruled Sudarsan out?
Meanwhile, Sudharsan has been ruled out after failing to recover in time from a toe injury sustained during India A’s tour of Sri Lanka last month. The left-hander had established himself as India’s No. 3 in the recent Test series and was in excellent form, scoring two centuries in as many unofficial Tests. However, he was struck on the toe during the second match against Sri Lanka A and has been undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru since then. Despite making significant progress, Sudharsan has not recovered sufficiently to return to Test cricket for the upcoming series.
“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. The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring his progress,” the Indian board's official media update stated.
India will enter the Sri Lanka series without several key players as injuries continue to disrupt their plans. Jasprit Bumrah has already been ruled out, while Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy are also unavailable due to hamstring and quadriceps injuries, respectively.
Washington Sundar will miss the first Test after picking up a hamstring problem, adding to India’s concerns. Akash Deep is another absentee as he continues his recovery from stress reactions in his back.
The growing list of injuries has left India with several selection headaches ahead of the two-match series. The Sri Lanka Tests will also count towards the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle.
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