The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named a 15-member team for the Test series in Sri Lanka to make the best of the present World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The squad comprises veteran batsmen such as Shubman Gill and vice-captain KL Rahul who will be brought back together with the rest of the team to the island nation after a dominant innings and 300-run victory in their last one-off Test against Afghanistan.
The most interesting news in the selection meeting is the return of the veteran spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. After a six-month layoff due to a tennis elbow injury in the IPL, Jadeja’s return will certainly help strengthen the team’s depth and balance in spin-friendly subcontinental conditions. But the pace department has one caveat: star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and top-order batsman Sai Sudharsan are also in the team, but their participation is only if they are given fitness approval from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE).
There are also a few tactical changes in the team. Washington Sundar, who is currently recovering from a right hamstring strain that prevented him from playing in some ODI games against England last month, was absent for the series opener. It was Saransh Jain who was the only Indian off-spin all-rounder who received a call-up to the first Test - a surprising first Test call-up. Jain has been on a roll in domestic red-ball cricket, recording more than 2,200 runs and over 200 wickets in first-class games and also had a great performance on the recent tour of Sri Lanka by India A where he scored with the ball and bat in both formats.
The two-match series will begin next month. The first Test will take place at the Galle International Stadium from 15 to 19 August, and the second and final one at Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) ground in Colombo from 23 to 27 August.
India's Test Squad for Sri Lanka:
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Captain: Shubman Gill
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Vice-Captain: KL Rahul
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Batters & Wicket-Keepers: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sai Sudharsan (subject to fitness), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Devdutt Padikkal
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All-Rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Saransh Jain
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Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Jasprit Bumrah (subject to fitness), Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar
