India captain Shubman Gill has explained why Sai Sudharsan was ruled out of the Sri Lanka Test series despite initially being named in the squad. Sudharsan suffered a toe injury during the India A tour of Sri Lanka. He was undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The batter was eventually ruled out after scans showed that his recovery was not progressing as expected. Sarfaraz Khan was subsequently named as his replacement for the two-Test series. Gill said the team management has remained in regular contact with injured players and closely monitored their progress.

Explaining the decision, Gill said, “We are in touch with them (team management). There is constant monitoring on players and where they are. Sai's (Sai Sudharsan) case was quite unfortunate. It looked like he would be able to be a part of the series, but we did scans and in one area he wasn't improving as much as we expected him to. Sometimes you have to take the call from the player's perspective... You don't want to take risks in a Test match... We were a bit disappointed, but it didn't affect the team's morale... We feel that whoever is in our team 11 can play and win in any condition.” India will begin the two-Test series in Galle on August 15.

Shubman Gill sets sights on WTC final qualification ahead of test series against Sri Lanka 

India captain Shubman Gill has made qualification for the 2027 World Test Championship final the team’s primary objective. India begin their two-Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle on August 15. The series is crucial because India currently sit fifth in the WTC standings. They have nine Tests remaining in the current cycle, including two against Sri Lanka, two against New Zealand and five against Australia. Gill stressed that India must focus on winning consistently from this point. “The main goal is to play in the WTC final,” Gill said. He added, “We have a very good chance of reaching the WTC Final.”

Gill acknowledged that India’s qualification path is demanding. The team needs to collect a large percentage of the available points after suffering four defeats in the cycle. “We have 9 Test matches left, and we need to win around 7 of them,” Gill said. 

He also explained that the immediate focus remains on Sri Lanka rather than looking too far ahead. “If we can win this series and maintain the right rhythm and momentum, we can put ourselves in a strong position to reach the WTC Final,” he added. India will therefore target a strong start in Galle before turning their attention to the remaining matches. The WTC final is scheduled to be played at The Oval in June 2027.