The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan as the replacement for injured Sai Sudharsan for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka.

Sudharsan suffered a big toe stress fracture during India A’s tour of Sri Lanka in July and has been undergoing rehab at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru ever since. He was initially expected to recover in time for the series but hasn’t been able to.

“Sai Sudharsan has been ruled out of the Test series against Sri Lanka," BCCI said in a statement. “The left-handed batter, who has been at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru, has made significant progress in his recovery from the right toe stress reaction and is recovering well. The BCCI Medical Team is closely monitoring his progress."

“The Men’s Selection Committee has named Sarfaraz Khan as a replacement for Sai Sudharsan for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. He will link up with the Indian squad in Colombo before the team travels to Galle for the first Test match, starting August 15, 2026," it added.

Sarfaraz last played for India in the disastrous three-Test home whitewash against New Zealand in 2024. He was one of the best performers of the series, scoring his maiden Test century in the second game.

However, he couldn’t buy a chance after that, warming the bench throughout the five-Test series against Australia in December-January 2025 and then losing out on his place in the squad.

Sarfaraz’s timely return

The 28-year-old has been one of India’s top performers in domestic cricket for several years now — in 92 First-Class innings, he boasts 5114 runs with an average of 64.73, with 17 centuries and 16 fifties.

In the last few months, he has gone through a rigorous fitness regime, shedding several kilos. While the likes of Sheikh Rasheed were also in contention for the series, Sarfaraz’s proven skills against spin must have put him in good stead for the BCCI selectors.

– with Agencies inputs --