Indian skipper Gill suffers finger injury ahead of first Sri Lanka Test
Colombo, August 7
Indian skipper Shubman Gill sustained an injury to his right ring finger during a practice session ahead of the first Sri Lanka Test scheduled from August 15 onwards.
The injury comes as a serious blow to India ahead of the Test series and is being monitored by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical team. As a precautionary measure, he is missing Day 1 of the warm-up match against SLC XI taking place on Friday. KL Rahul is leading the team in his absence.
BCCI posted on X, "Update: Captain Shubman Gill sustained an impact injury to his right ring finger during India's practice on Thursday. As a precautionary measure, he will not take the field on Day 1 of the warm-up game against SLC XI. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress. KL Rahul will lead the team in Gill's absence."
SLC XI won the toss and opted to bat against India in this three-day warm-up game.
The two-match Test series will get underway with the opening game at the Galle International Cricket Stadium from August 15 to 19, before the teams move to Colombo for the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club from August 23 to 27.
India's ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the series as he has not fully recovered from the left knee injury he sustained during the ODI series against England.
The Men's Selection Committee has included Aquib Nabi in the squad as Bumrah's replacement.
India are also grappling with multiple injury concerns ahead of the series, with Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy sidelined due to hamstring and quadriceps injuries, respectively.
Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the opening Test with a hamstring issue, while Akash Deep remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from stress reactions in his back.
The series will form part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. Led by Shubman Gill, India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship standings, having registered four wins and four losses in nine matches, with a Points Percentage (PCT) of 48.150.
India's squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka is: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain and Auqib Nabi.
*Subject to fitness clearance.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This injury list is getting ridiculous! Bumrah, Harshit, Nitish, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep... it's like a hospital ward out there. The BCCI really needs to look at the players' workload management. These guys are playing non-stop cricket throughout the year.
As an Australian cricket fan, I always look forward to India vs Sri Lanka Tests. Galle is a beautiful ground with lots of turn. It's a shame about Gill's injury - he's a class act. Hope he recovers soon. But it does make the series more interesting!
Honestly, I'm more worried about our bowling attack than Gill's finger. Bumrah is irreplaceable in Test cricket. And with both Harshit and Nitish out, our pace battery looks thin. At least we have Siraj and Prasidh. But the spin department with Jadeja and Kuldeep will be key in Sri Lanka.
I have mixed feelings. On one hand, KL Rahul leading the side is great - he's a senior player and knows how to handle pressure. On the other hand, this constant chopping and changing due to injuries doesn't allow the team to build momentum. Wishing Gill a speedy recovery! 💙
Can we just take a moment to appreciate how many players are debuting lately? Aquib Nabi getting selected is exciting, but it also shows our bench strength is being tested hard. The WTC standings don't look great either - we need to win these two Tests to stay in the race. No margin for error now.
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