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Indian cricket team - (Source: AFP)
On Tuesday, July 28, the BCCI released a 15-member India squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka Tests starting on August 15. It is almost identical to the one named against Afghanistan, but there are a few surprising calls.
Harsh Dubey has been left out of the squad, making way for 33-year-old Saransh Jain. Similarly, Ravindra Jadeja returns to the side.
India Test Squad vs Sri Lanka 2026- Shubman Gill (C), KL Rahul (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Jasprit Bumrah*, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Saransh Jain.
Make-or-Break Series For Indian Players vs Sri Lanka
The upcoming Sri Lanka challenge is crucial for several India players. The likes of KL Rahul, Yashavi Jaiswal, and Shubman Gill have cemented their places, but there are still several players in the squad who are fighting among themselves to secure spot in the Indian team.
Therefore, this article will shed light on players for whom the upcoming Sri Lanka series will be a make-or-break challenge.
1. Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja returns to the Test side for the first time since the South Africa series in 2025. The star all-rounder is being challenged by the selection of all-rounders like Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain.
Like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in ODIs, Ravindra Jadeja too needs to now prove his mettle to retain a place in the team.
The 37-year-old had a below-par South Africa tour with the bat, where he scored just 105 runs in 4 innings. However, he did take 10 wickets in four innings. Jadeja performed well against the Windies, where he scored a century, and yet he has been asked to prove himself.
Also Read: Full List Of Changes In India Test Squad vs Sri Lanka Compared To Afghanistan
On the other hand, Manav Suthar too has impressed the management, picking 7 wickets in 2 innings, which includes a six-wicket haul in the 1st innings. Hence, pressure is there, and if either Saransh or Manav does better than Jadeja against Sri Lanka, then the management too might move on from the Saurashtra-based cricketer.
2. Sai Sudharsan
India have had the No. 3 issue for the longest time. In 2025, ahead of the England tour, Team India felt that Sai Sudharsan could be a great solution to that problem. However, the left-handed batter hasn’t replicated his IPL success on the international stage.
Sudharsan has just 383 runs in 12 innings, averaging just 31.91, which is very poor in Test cricket. The southpaw has three fifty-plus scores but no century.
At the moment, Sai is part of the team but only subject to fitness. For the unversed, Sudharsan suffered an injury during India A tour to Sri Lanka recently. Now, Devdutt Padikkal is also part of the team and will bat at No. 3 if Sai doesn’t recover in time.
Now, the series is a make-or-break for Sai and Padikkal both because there is only one place for one player. Hence, if Padikkal does well in the opening Test, then Sudharsan will find it really difficult to return to the playing XI.
3. Dhruv Jurel
Dhruv Jurel has done nothing wrong, but he might lose out on his Test spot due to Rishabh Pant’s presence. At present, Jurel has played 14 innings and amassed 478 runs, averaging 34.
Gautam Gambhir has a tendency to fit in all-rounders. At present, Washington Sundar is out of the team because of injury, which is why Dhruv Jurel and Rishabh Pant might start together.
Hence, Jurel needs to step up and score plenty of runs to cement his place in the Indian cricket team.
Also Read: Indian Players Who Didn't Deserve A Place in Sri Lanka Tests
