India’s national selectors will name the Test squad for their tour of Sri Lanka next week, with fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s availability the biggest question mark, according to a PTI report carried by The Shillong Times.
It remains uncertain whether Bumrah will be able to travel with the squad in the first week of August. Veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, however, is set to return to the Shubman Gill-led side, with his all-round skills expected to be valuable in Sri Lankan conditions after he was left out of the recent one-day series against England.
Pace duties for the two-Test series are likely to be shared between Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. The spin department is expected to be led by Kuldeep Yadav alongside left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who impressed on debut against Afghanistan, with all-rounder Washington Sundar and left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey in the mix as further slow-bowling options.
The squad announcement will firm up India’s plans for a tour that begins with a warm-up fixture before the Tests count.
India’s men’s team is scheduled to play a four-day warm-up match in Colombo from August 7, ahead of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka that begins on August 15. The practice game, reported to be staged at the Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) grounds, is intended to help the visitors adjust to local conditions, with the side due to arrive on the island in early August.
Sri Lankan pitches typically offer generous assistance to spin, and the warm-up outing gives India’s batters and bowlers time to gauge the surfaces before the series. The opening Test is set for the Galle International Cricket Stadium from August 15, with the second and final match scheduled for the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) grounds in Colombo.
The series forms part of the ICC World Test Championship cycle, with both teams chasing valuable points in one of Asian cricket’s most familiar rivalries.
