Sudharsan is back in the nets at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, and that detail now shapes India’s travel plans for Sri Lanka. He was picked in the 15-man Test squad only on the condition that his injured toe clears one final fitness check before the group leaves on August 4. Team management sounds increasingly confident he will make the trip, though nothing is confirmed yet. Miss the cut, and Devdutt Padikkal is ready to slot into the number three spot Sudharsan has made his own.
Toe Injury Latest and Fitness Clearance Timeline
The exact nature of Sai Sudharsan’s big toe injury has never been officially disclosed by the BCCI, and no timeline for the original setback has been made public either. The board offered no detail when the squad was announced on July 28, beyond confirming his place was conditional. He has spent the recovery period working out of the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
By August 2, the picture had brightened. Sudharsan had resumed batting in the nets at the same facility, and team management sounded increasingly optimistic about a clearance arriving before departure. Nothing formal had been signed off at that point.
He shares that uncertainty with Jasprit Bumrah, also named subject to the same fitness process and still without formal clearance as of August 2. Should Sudharsan fail the test, Devdutt Padikkal is expected to move into the middle order, a role he has already handled well on this same tour of Sri Lanka.
Colombo Warm-Up Fixture Trimmed to Three Days
India’s original plan involved a four-day practice match in Colombo running from August 7 to August 10. That changed on August 1, when Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed the fixture would now run three days instead, finishing on August 9. The match still starts on August 7, now at the NCC Grounds in Colombo, and will be broadcast live. The BCCI, team management, and Sri Lanka Cricket all agreed to the shorter format together.
Neither board explained why a day was cut from the fixture. Reports have linked the timing to Sudharsan’s return to the nets, but that connection has not been confirmed by BCCI or Sri Lanka Cricket.
Sai Sudharsan India Sri Lanka Test squad
The 15 picked for the tour are Shubman Gill as captain, KL Rahul as his deputy, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel as the two wicketkeeping options, Sudharsan, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Padikkal and Saransh Jain. The pace attack runs three deep with Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, while Kuldeep Yadav and Manav Suthar cover the spin and allrounder roles behind Jadeja.
Sudharsan and Bumrah carry the fitness tag, but only Sudharsan has a like-for-like deputy waiting. He has become the settled number three in the Test side over the past year, with Padikkal the named cover if the toe does not hold up.
Washington Sundar did not make the cut for the first Test, with the BCCI giving no reason for his absence. The series itself opens at Galle from August 15 to 19, before moving to the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo for the second Test from August 23 to 27.
The Numbers Behind His Batting Resurgence
Whatever happens with the toe, Sudharsan arrives with strong recent form behind him. In the first unofficial Test for India A against Sri Lanka A at Galle in late June, he made 132 off 175 balls with 19 fours, as India A piled up 333 for four on the opening day.
He retired hurt in that innings but was back for the second unofficial Test at the same ground a week later, finishing unbeaten on 104 off 166 balls for his tenth first-class century. That knock included an unbroken 181-run stand with Padikkal, who himself finished on 94 not out.
Across the tour, he scored 332 runs in four innings at an average of 166, with two hundreds and the tag of leading run scorer for India A in Sri Lanka. Both innings came at Galle, the venue hosting the first Test, which is why the Sai Sudharsan India Sri Lanka Test squad conversation still centres on his toe rather than his batting.