Sarfaraz Khan named Sai Sudharsan’s replacement for Sri Lanka Tests
India have named middle-order batter Shafraz Khan as replacement for the injured B Sai Sudarshan for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Sai Sudharsan, who was ruled out with a right toe stress reaction, has been at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and has made “significant progress in his recovery”, according […]
India has announced that middle-order batsman Sarfaraz Khan will replace injured B Sai Sudarshan for the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka. Sai Sudarshan, who has been recovering from a right toe stress reaction, has been training at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Sarfaraz last played a Test in 2024, the same year he made his debut, and has since scored 371 runs in six Tests, including one century and three half-centuries.
He has been part of the Indian squad for the 2024-25 tour of Australia but was left out of the squad for the England tour the following year. Among the highest run-getters for Mumbai in the 2025 Ranji Trophy season with 429 runs in seven games at an average of 53.62, Sarfaraz's first-class average of 64.73 ranks among the best among players who have played at least 50 innings.
The series, scheduled to start on August 15 in Galle and continue with the second Test on August 23 at the SSC in Colombo, comes amidst a series of injuries for India. Key players such as Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, and captain Shubman Gill have been ruled out due to injuries. Gill did not bat in the first innings of the tour game against Sri Lanka Cricket XI but returned to bat in the second innings, contributing 44 runs off 54 balls and helping India secure the win. The match was played with precaution, according to spin-bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
