Advertisement
New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released the official roster yesterday. India will send a fifteen-player team to play a two-match Test cricket series against Sri Lanka. The cricket boards scheduled the series to start next month. 
India vs Sri Lanka: Full 15-Player Test Squad Announced


These matches belong to the current International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship cycle. India will wear their traditional white Test match jerseys for the first time since late last year. Last year, the Indian team lost a home series to South Africa by a score of two to zero. The team wants to secure match victories in Sri Lanka to improve their recent record.

Team Leadership and New Additions

The selection committee appointed Shubman Gill to lead the team as the captain. KL Rahul will support him in the leadership role as the vice-captain. The selectors also made important changes to the player list.
  • Saransh Jain: The selectors gave a first-time call-up to Jain. He bowls right-arm off-spin and plays as an all-rounder.
  • Ravindra Jadeja: The team welcomes back Jadeja. He brings years of match experience as an all-rounder.
  • Manav Suthar: Suthar keeps his spot on the team for this upcoming series. Suthar played his first Test match for India against Afghanistan in June. He won the Player of the Match award in that specific game.

Player Fitness and Availability

A few players face fitness checks before the series begins. Medical staff must examine Sai Sudharsan and Jasprit Bumrah. Both players need medical clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence. They will join the active roster only if they pass these medical tests. Furthermore, Washington Sundar cannot play in the first Test match. He remains unavailable for selection right now.

Match Schedule and Championship Standings

The cricket boards finalized the specific dates and locations for the two games.
  • First Test on August 15 at Galle
  • Second Test on August 23 at Colombo 
This series holds great importance for the ICC World Test Championship points table. Currently, Australia controls the first-place spot. New Zealand sits in the second-place position. India holds the fifth-place position in the standings. Sri Lanka stays right behind them in the sixth-place spot. Both teams need to win these upcoming matches to earn points and move higher in the global championship rankings.