The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to announce the Indian team for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka by Tuesday. Notably, the board will also review the team’s white-ball performance after the ongoing T20I series against Zimbabwe before finalizing its plans.
India will begin the Sri Lanka tour with a four-day warm-up match at the NCC Ground in Colombo. The first Test will be played at the Galle International Stadium from August 15, while the second Test will be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo from August 23 to 27.
India are currently placed fifth in the 2025-27 World Test Championship standings with a points percentage of 48.15. They need seven wins from their last nine matches to reach the finals.
Indian Test team possible for Sri Lanka series on Tuesday
BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia and the selection committee are likely to announce India’s squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka on Tuesday. The selectors will meet virtually over the next few days to finalize the team for the important overseas assignment.
“We will call a virtual meeting in the next few days to choose the team,” Devjit Saikia told Sportstar.
The selectors have some fitness concerns ahead of the meeting. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar are recovering from injuries, which could open doors for players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan or Madhya Pradesh’s uncapped off-spinner Sarnash Jain.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja is expected to return after missing the one-off Test against Afghanistan.. Bumrah’s availability remains uncertain after suffering a knee injury during the third ODI against England.
BCCI to assess white-ball roadmap after Zimbabwe series
According to Sportstar, after the T20 series against Zimbabwe, the BCCI will hold a review meeting in Mumbai to assess India’s white-ball performance. Captain Shreyas Iyer, head coach Gautam Gambhir, Center of Excellence head VVS Laxman and national selectors are expected to attend the meeting.
India’s tour of Ireland and England was disappointing. The T20I team led by Shreyas Iyer has lost consecutive series, while Shubman Gill’s ODI team also suffered series defeats in England despite the presence of experienced players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
BCCI is not expected to make any immediate changes but will review the team selection, strategy and recent performance. Notably, the discussion will also focus on drawing up a strong roadmap for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
India eyes important WTC points in Sri Lanka
The Sri Lanka series will be India’s first World Test Championship assignment since the 2-0 series loss to South Africa in November 2025. India have won four matches and lost four in the current WTC cycle.
The team is expected to retain the core group that defeated Afghanistan by an innings and 300 runs in Mullanpur. Manav Suthar impressed with seven wickets on debut, while B Sai Sudarshan cemented his place with scores of 132, 7, 168* and 25* for India A against Sri Lanka A.
Rishabh Pant is likely to remain India’s first-choice wicketkeeper ahead of Dhruv Jurel. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul are expected to continue as the opening pair, while Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna Tej are set to lead the pace attack.
