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India Tour Of Sri Lanka 2026: BCCI on Tuesday announced the 15-member Indian team for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. This team, which will be led by Shubman Gill, has seen the return of veteran fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who were rested against Afghanistan. Due to injury, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy are not available for selection, while Vidarbha spinner Harsh Dubey has been dropped from the team. But like Bumrah, his ability to play will also depend on fitness clearance. The first Test of the series will be played in Galle from 15th August and the second Test will be played in Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo from 23rd August.
The biggest relief news for the Indian team is the return of world number-1 Test bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah was rested in the only Test match played against Afghanistan in Mullanpur in June 2026. However, BCCI has made it clear that Bumrah’s participation in the Sri Lanka series will completely depend on his fitness report.
Apart from Bumrah, world number-1 Test all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has also returned to the team. A lot of questions were raised when Jadeja was kept out of the Test match against Afghanistan, but the selectors have included him back in the team for the Sri Lanka tour, expressing confidence in his experience.
The selectors have included 33-year-old spin-bowling all-rounder Saransh Jain from Madhya Pradesh, who has consistently performed brilliantly in domestic cricket, in the Indian Test team for the first time. This is the result of Saransh’s long and hard work.
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Saransh Jain’s record in first-class cricket has been very impressive. In the 54 first class matches played so far, he has scored 2,223 runs and also taken 188 wickets. Keeping in mind the spin-friendly conditions of Sri Lanka, the selection of Saransh Jain can prove to be very helpful for the team.
During the team announcement, news about the fitness of some players became a cause for concern. Washington Sundar was injured during the second ODI against England on 16 July, due to which he was not available for selection.
At the same time, young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has played 10 test matches for India so far, has also been ruled out of this tour due to fitness related problems.
Apart from this, Tamil Nadu’s talented top-order batsman B Sai Sudarshan has been included in the 15-member squad, but his availability will also be subject to fitness clearance like Bumrah.
Vidarbha spinner Harsh Dubey, who got his first national call for the one-off Test match against Afghanistan, has been shown the way out of this series. The selectors have given priority to experienced and in-form all-rounders considering the conditions in Sri Lanka, due to which Harsh failed to retain his place.
