India's no.3 batter Sai Sudharsan has been ruled out of the upcoming two-Test series in Sri Lanka due to a toe stress fracture, adding to India’s growing injury concerns ahead of the first Test in Galle.
Sai Sudharsan Ruled Out Due to Toe Stress Fracture
Sudharsan was initially named in India’s 15-member squad, but his availability was subject to a fitness clearance from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. He did not travel to Sri Lanka with the squad after suffering the toe injury during the recent India A tour of Sri Lanka, where he had an impressive run, scoring 132, 7*, 168 and 25*.
The left-hander had been recovering at the CoE and there was initially hope that he would be fit in time for the first Test on August 15. However, he was unable to recover fully and was still not able to sprint at full pace, ruling him out of the series. India are yet to name a replacement for Sudharsan.
Devdutt Padikkal Could Replace Sudharsan at No. 3
His absence is another setback for India, who will already be without Jasprit Bumrah after the pacer was ruled out with a knee issue and replaced by Auqib Nabi.
In Sudharsan’s absence, Devdutt Padikkal could be an option at No. 3. Padikkal looked in fine touch during the warm-up match against Sri Lanka XI, scoring a century and making a strong case for himself. With his recent form and experience in Sri Lanka, DDP could slot into the No. 3 position when India begin the first Test in Galle on August 15.
India squad for Sri Lanka Tests
Shubman Gill (capt), KL Rahul (vice-capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi
