Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja are expected to return to India’s Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against Sri Lanka, and there is a chance that Washington Sundar, who is currently on the road to recovery, will not be included in the squad.
TOI reported that the senior men’s selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, is expected to meet soon to finalise the squad for the series, which begins on August 15 in Galle. While informal discussions reportedly took place during India’s white-ball tour of England, the selectors are now waiting to hold a formal meeting before announcing the team.
One of the biggest selection concerns is the fitness of all-rounder Washington Sundar. As reported by The Times of India, Sundar suffered a right hamstring injury during the ODI series against England and missed the final match at Lord’s. He is expected to report to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE), where he will undergo further assessment before getting clearance to return.
The report adds that although the pain reduced after Sundar reached London, he was advised to undergo scans, and the results were shared with specialists. Even if the injury is only a Grade 1 strain or a minor pull, the 26-year-old could need around two weeks to regain full match fitness.
With the Indian team likely to leave for Sri Lanka on August 4 and a four-day warm-up match scheduled before the first Test, the selectors will have to decide whether Sundar will be fit in time for the tour.
How many changes will India make for the Sri Lanka series?
The squad is also expected to see a few changes from the one-off Test against Afghanistan. Bumrah and Jadeja are both likely to return after missing that fixture. If Sundar is unavailable, the selectors could either continue with Harsh Dubey or consider off-spinner Saransh Jain to add variety to the spin attack.
Manav Suthar and Kuldeep Yadav are expected to keep their places in the squad. The pace department is likely to include Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar and Prasidh Krishna.
Jadeja was not selected for the Afghanistan Test after the IPL, but Ajit Agarkar had made his stance clear, saying the veteran all-rounder remains the “no. 1 spinner in the format”.
Who will be the all-rounder for Sri Lanka Test series?
The batting unit is unlikely to undergo major changes. However, the selectors still have an important decision to make regarding the all-rounders. They will have to decide whether to include Nitish Kumar Reddy, who is recovering at the Centre of Excellence, or go with another specialist if Sundar is unavailable.
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India will be eager to put together a strong performance in Sri Lanka after a difficult period in Test cricket under head coach Gautam Gambhir. The team suffered home Test series defeats to both New Zealand and South Africa, making the Sri Lanka series an important step in their World Test Championship campaign.