Daijiworld Media Network - Colombo
Colombo, Aug 10: India batter Sarfaraz Khan has been named as Sai Sudharsan's replacement for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, with the 28-year-old set to join the squad ahead of the first Test in Galle from August 15.
Sudharsan is currently recovering at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru after suffering a stress reaction in his right toe. The BCCI said he has made significant progress in his recovery but will miss the series.
Sarfaraz has played six Tests for India, with his last appearance coming during the home series against New Zealand in 2024. He has scored one century and three fifties in 11 innings.
The Mumbai batter's latest call-up comes after a productive Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, in which he scored 429 runs in nine innings at an average of 53.62.
Updated India squad: Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi and Sarfaraz Khan.
Sarfaraz was also named in the West Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy, scheduled from August 23 to September 10. Part of the tournament will clash with India's Sri Lanka Test series, which runs from August 7 to 27.
He missed the previous edition of the Duleep Trophy due to injury after initially being selected. Sarfaraz has also not played professional cricket since representing Chennai Super Kings in the IPL in April this year.
With Sudharsan unavailable, Devdutt Padikkal is likely to be the frontrunner for the No. 3 position. Padikkal strengthened his case with an impressive century in India's practice match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI.
India will begin the Test series in Galle on August 15, with the second Test scheduled to follow later in the tour.