Washington ruled out of first Sri Lanka Test as India’s injury concerns persist

New Delhi, July 26: India’s injury concerns continue to mount ahead of next month’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka, with spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar ruled out of the opening Test and injured duo Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana unlikely to feature in the series.
India are scheduled to face Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle from August 15 to 19 before the second Test at the SSC in Colombo from August 23 to 27.
According to sources, Washington has not recovered sufficiently from the leg injury he sustained during India’s recent white-ball tour of England and is expected to miss the series opener. His availability for the second Test will depend on his progress during rehabilitation.
The injury has created a selection dilemma for the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee, which is set to announce the squad on Tuesday.
With Washington doubtful, the selectors may need to identify an additional spin-bowling option to complement Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Manav Suthar.
Off-spinner Saransh Jain has emerged as a strong contender after an impressive performance against Sri Lanka A, where he claimed six wickets in two matches and also scored an unbeaten 70. His ability to contribute with the bat lower down the order is believed to have strengthened his case, particularly given head coach Gautam Gambhir’s preference for batting depth.
Leg-spinners Zeeshan Ansari and Vipraj Nigam are also among the options under consideration, although Nigam is reportedly viewed as being better suited to the white-ball format.
Meanwhile, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and fast bowler Harshit Rana are not expected to be available for selection after suffering hamstring injuries.
Both players are currently undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and are unlikely to recover in time for the Sri Lanka tour.
India’s pace department also remains under close watch. Senior fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the final ODI against England after sustaining a knee injury, is scheduled to resume training at the Centre of Excellence after a short period of rest and will undergo a fitness assessment before his availability is confirmed.
Should Bumrah fail to regain full fitness in time, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar are expected to shoulder the pace-bowling responsibilities.
There is, however, encouraging news regarding top-order batter B Sai Sudharsan, who is recovering well from his injury, although his inclusion will remain subject to medical clearance.
Fast bowler Akash Deep also remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from a stress fracture. While he has resumed bowling as part of his return-to-play programme, he is still some distance away from match fitness.
In a positive development for India’s white-ball plans, senior all-rounder Hardik Pandya has completed the final stages of his rehabilitation from a quadriceps injury and is expected to receive fitness clearance by the end of July.
If India’s proposed white-ball tour of Bangladesh goes ahead later this year, Pandya is likely to return to the national squad after successfully completing his return-to-play protocols. (PTI)