Mumbai: India’s veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has recovered from injury and is set to be picked when the Indian selectors meet on Monday to finalize the squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka.
Jadeja has been sidelined since May for the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) with a tennis elbow injury. The experienced all-rounder last represented India in the ODI series against New Zealand in January.
However, uncertainty remains over the fitness of all-rounder Washington Sundar and pacer Harshit Rana ahead of the series.
Rana is yet to fully recover from the hamstring injury sustained during the T20 series in England.
The fast bowler recently returned from a long layoff after missing both the 2026 T20 World Cup and the IPL due to a knee injury. His last Test appearance was against Australia in December 2024 in Adelaide.
Washington is also under evaluation after missing the third ODI against England with a hamstring injury. He was replaced by Harsh Dubey in the squad, while the selectors are said to be awaiting his final fitness report before announcing the squad.
If Washington does not recover in time for the opening Test and he is available for the second match, India may include him as the 16th member of the squad later.
The selectors are also expected to get information on premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who was withdrawn from the Lord’s ODI against England as a precaution after injuring his left knee during the second ODI in Cardiff.
While Bumrah is expected to recover in time for the Sri Lanka tour, the team management is likely to manage his workload carefully following a demanding schedule that includes T20 World Cup and IPL.
He was rested for the Test and ODI series against Afghanistan in June, as well as the T20Is against Ireland and England.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is unlikely to be fit for the Sri Lanka series after being ruled out of the Ireland and England tours with a quadriceps injury.
India’s batting line-up is expected to remain largely unchanged, with KL Rahul and Yashshwi Jaiswal set to open the innings, while skipper Shubman Gill may continue at number four.
Sai Sudarshan is expected to perform well for India A and retain his place, while Devdutt is in contention. Rishabh Pant is set to continue as the first-choice wicketkeeper, with Dhruv Jural serving as his coach.
If fit, Bumrah will lead the pace along with Mohammed Siraj and Prasith Krishna.
Left-arm fast bowler Kurnoor Brar strengthened his selection claim with a 10-wicket haul for India A against Sri Lanka A. He had earlier made his senior Indian debut during the ODI series against Afghanistan.
Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel are expected to lead the spin department, while left-arm spinner Manav Sudar will retain his place after taking seven wickets on his Test debut against Afghanistan in June.
Harsh Dubey, who has enjoyed an excellent domestic season, could be included in the squad if Jadeja or Washington fail to prove their fitness.
The first Test will be played on August 15 in Galle and the second Test will be played on August 23 at the SSC ground in Colombo.
The Sri Lanka series marks India’s first assignment in the new World Test Championship cycle following a 2-0 loss to South Africa in November.
Before that, India drew their five-Test series 2-2 in England and won the home series against the West Indies 2-0. India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 standings, with Sri Lanka sixth.