Saransh Jain Earns Maiden India Test Call After Washington Sundar Injury Blow

The selectors announced a 15-member squad on Tuesday for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka next month. PTI had reported on Sunday that 33-year-old Saransh could replace Washington Sundar in the Indian squad after the all-rounder suffered a muscle strain during the England tour.

The two-Test series is part of the World Test Championship. The first Test will be played from August 15 to 19 in Galle, while the second Test will take place from August 23 to 27 at the SSC in Colombo. As part of their preparation for the series, India will also play a four-day practice match from August 7.

With Washington unavailable, the Shubman Gill-led side needed a right-arm finger spinner, which led to Saransh’s inclusion in the squad. The tall off-spinner was a key member of Madhya Pradesh’s Ranji Trophy-winning team under coach Chandrakant Pandit. During India A’s recent tour of Sri Lanka, Saransh impressed with six wickets in two matches and also scored an unbeaten 70 in one innings.

Ravindra Jadeja and Manav Suthar are both left-arm orthodox spinners, while Kuldeep Yadav is a left-arm wrist spinner. The selectors opted to add Saransh as an off-spinner to bring variety to India’s spin department.

Jadeja has returned to the squad after being rested for the only home Test match against Afghanistan played in June. Mumbai all-rounder Tanush Kotian, who was brought into the team as a replacement for R Ashwin after the latter retired during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, failed to maintain consistency in his performances and did not receive support from the selection committee.

The selection of the remaining players was largely expected. Right-arm fast bowler Gurnoor Brar, who took 10 wickets in a match against Sri Lanka A, has retained his place in the squad.

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and batter Sai Sudharsan have been included subject to fitness. Their fitness will be assessed at the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (COE) later this month before the team departs for Sri Lanka.

No official standby player has been named so far. However, in case Bumrah fails to make a complete recovery from his injury, Vidarbha fast bowler Yash Thakur and Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi are available as options.

The Indian Test squad for the Sri Lanka series is: Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal and Saransh Jain.

The inclusion of Saransh Jain marks a significant moment in his career as India prepares for a crucial World Test Championship assignment in Sri Lanka, while the fitness of key players remains a major factor ahead of the team’s departure