Sai Sudharsan’s Sri Lanka Tour In Doubt
Sai Sudharsan, a young batter, was notably absent from the travelling squad. His absence has prompted worries about his fitness and availability for the first Test.
Team India has left for Colombo for the forthcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Notably, the series is notable because it is part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC 2025-27 cycle).
Both India and Sri Lanka will be hungry to rebound from dismal losses in recent Tests and improve their standings in the World Test Championship.
Sai Sudharsan will not be travelling with the India squad to Sri Lanka.
According to RevSportz, Sai Sudharsan was not with the Indian team when they travelled for Sri Lanka. Earlier, Cricbuzz indicated that his departure was doubtful because his selection was pending fitness clearance.
According to the report, insiders close to the left-handed batter were optimistic that he would join the squad later this week even if he did not travel with the club initially.
“It is not totally clear whether Sai Sudharsan, whose selection was contingent on fitness clearance, would fly with the group on Tuesday. “Sources close to the left-hander are confident that he will join the team, if not on Tuesday, then later this week,” according to Cricbuzz.
It is vital to mention that Sai Sudharsan is currently rehabilitating from a toe injury. Initially, the nature of the damage was not revealed. However, indications indicate that the 24-year-old is making steady improvement and will reach full fitness shortly.
Sudharsan is currently at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) for rehabilitation. Although he has resumed batting, the medical team is yet to grant him final clearance to join the Indian side. As a result, he is still in India, while the rest of the team has already left for Colombo.
Notably, India is set to play a three-day warm-up match before the IND vs SL Test series begins. The practice game will begin on August 7 at the NCC Grounds in Colombo. Sudharsan may skip the warm-up match due to his current state of recuperation. However, this does not always rule him out of the first test.
According to reports, he is set to join the Indian squad later this week, on August 9, 2026. He still has plenty of time to rehabilitate and prove his match fitness, since the first Test against Sri Lanka begins on August 15.
Despite this, there has been no formal confirmation that he will be available for the series’ start.
Why Does India Want Sai Sudharsan Back?
It is worth noting that Sai Sudharsan’s inclusion in the Indian Test squad has frequently been questioned, as the young left-hander has yet to properly establish himself at the international level.
So far, he has 383 runs in 12 innings. As a result, there was debate over whether he deserved to remain in the playing XI.
However, the 24-year-old hushed many of his detractors with an outstanding performance for India A on a tour of Sri Lanka in June. He scored 332 runs in just four innings, at an impressive average of 110.67, including two centuries.
Gautam Gambhir and his teammates will be encouraged by his steady comeback from injury and hope he is healthy for the Test series.
