In frame: Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravindra Jadeja (Source: AFP)The senior men’s senior selection committee, chaired by Ajit Agarkar, announced the 15-member India squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, starting from August 15 in Galle.For the unaware, the Indian Test team has experienced a sharp decline in red-ball performance ever since Gautam Gambhir succeeded Rahul Dravid as head coach. Gambhir took the reins on July 9, 2024, and since October 2024, India has suffered an unprecedented 0-3 whitewash at home, including a record-low 46 all-out in Bengaluru, and lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (in late 2024-early 2025) in Australia 1-3.India was also handed a 0-2 defeat at home by South Africa, featuring a massive 408-run loss, India's largest defeat by runs in Test history. Lastly, India under a new captain, Shubman Gill, finished third in the 2023-25 cycle, failing to qualify for the final for the first time in three editions.India Test Tour of Sri Lanka: A Perfect Platform to Test PlentyDuring the losses against South Africa and New Zealand at home, Indian batters struggled significantly against quality spin and pace pressure, failing to cross 200 consistently during deep slumps.Moreover, the visiting spinners and pacers neutralised India’s traditional home advantage on turning and seaming tracks. Thus, the Sri Lanka Test series offers a perfect platform for Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill to assess their the batting line against the quality Lankan spinners in a spin-friendly backdrop.Apart from that, the upcoming two-match series is further critical for ICC World Test Championship standings, as India sits fifth and Sri Lanka sixth, leaving both teams no room to drop points in the race for the final.Also read: India's Biggest Missed Opportunities From The Zimbabwe T20I SeriesThat being said, in this article, let’s take a look at the list of changes the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee made in India’s Test squad for the much-awaited Sri Lanka series in comparison to India’s squad for the One-off Test against Afghanistan.India’s Test Squad for Afghanistan: Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper)India’s Test squad vs Sri Lanka: Shubman Gill [C], KL Rahul [VC], Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant [WK], Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel [WK], Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Jasprit Bumrah*, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh JainPlayers common in both: Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Jasprit Bumrah*, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal1) Ravindra Jadeja returns to India Test squad after 8 monthsVeteran India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja marked his return as the BCCI announced the squad for the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka. Having fully recovered from a tennis elbow injury sustained during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 in May, Jadeja makes his comeback to bolster India’s spin attack in Subcontinental conditions.2) Nitish Kumar Reddy out due to injuryPace bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was originally a part of India’s squad for the One-off Test against Afghanistan, has been left out for the Sri Lanka tour. Reddy was unavailable for the tour after having failed to recover from his injury.The Sunrisers Hyderabad player is still recovering from a left quadriceps injury, which caused him to miss India's recent white-ball tours of Ireland, England and Zimbabwe. He picked up the injury while bowling against Afghanistan in the home ODI series in June.3) 33-year-old Saransh Jain earns maiden call-upThe announcement marks the maiden India call-up for spin-bowling all-rounder Saransh Jain, who comes into the 15-man squad as a replacement for Washington Sundar, who was unavailable for selection due to a hamstring injury sustained during the ODI series in England.Saransh earned his maiden call-up on the back of an impressive Ranji Trophy 2025-26, where the all-rounder scored 518 runs and bagged as many as 30 wickets in 7 games.Moreover, his performances in the India A vs Sri Lanka A tour further made a case for him. Once again, Saransh impressed one and all with his all-round skills.4) Sai Sudharshan and Jasprit Bumrah in, but on a conditionIn another big worry, ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who was ruled out of the third ODI in England after he sustained an impact injury to his left knee while fielding during the second ODI against England in Cardiff, has been picked under the "subject to fitness" clause. Bumrah has been asked to take rest until July 30, after which he will report to the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.India's Test No 3 Sai Sudharsan too has been picked under the 'Subject to fitness' clause, though he is learnt to be "recovering well." Sudharsan's availability for the series is crucial considering that he has been in good form in the last few months.The Tamil Nadu & Gujarat Titans left-hander scored centuries (132 & 168) in both the four-day games for India A against Sri Lanka in their 'shadow tour' of Lanka recently, and slammed 81 against Afghanistan in the one-off Test in June in New Chandigarh.Also read: Litton Das To Become Bangladesh Captain Before 2027 World Cup
