Saransh Jain, an uncapped offspin all-rounder, has received his first Test call-up to the Indian team for the forthcoming two-match series in Sri Lanka in August. Washington Sundar was officially ruled out of the first Test due to a hamstring issue, which is why Saransh was chosen. At the age of 33, Saransh may be eligible for a Test cap after playing consistently for India ‘A’ and Madhya Pradesh in domestic cricket. After being rested for the June one-time Test match against Afghanistan, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is also back in the fold.
With Jasprit Bumrah returning to lead the attack, the rest of the 15-man team has a familiar appearance. However, Bumrah and current No. 3 batsman Sai Sudharsan have been selected pending fitness clearance; Nitish Kumar Reddy, one of several players undergoing rehabilitation at the CoE, is not included in the team.
Saransh’s callup follows an incredible late comeback in red-ball cricket, when he made a name for himself as a vital player of Madhya Pradesh’s team and caught the attention of selectors. With his offspin, he has taken 188 wickets at a rate of 27.3 per wicket in 54 first-class matches. In addition to being a helpful left-handed hitter down the order, he has amassed 2223 runs at an average of 31.75, hitting two hundreds and 14 half-centuries. In September of last year, Central Zone won the Duleep Trophy with to his 16 wickets and 136 runs in two games. In the Ranji Trophy season of 2025–2026, he supported the victory with 518 runs at an average of 57.55 and 30 wickets at an average of 20.43 each.
During the recent visit of Sri Lanka, Saransh was a member of the India ‘A’ XI for both unofficial Test matches. He contributed an undefeated 70 in the second game while batting at No. 7 and returned seven wickets.
Nitish, Sundar, and Vidarbha all-rounder Harsh Dubey, who were all in the team for the Afghanistan Test, are among the noticeable absences. Although Sundar hasn’t been included in the squad, the BCCI declared that he won’t be playing in the first Test and made no mention of whether he might be available for the second. During India’s recent tour of England, Bumrah had an impact injury to his left knee, which prevented him from playing in the crucial ODI at Lord’s. After an uneventful IPL season in which his Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene disclosed that he played through the early portion of the league with a niggle, he was rested from the squad for the Afghanistan Test.
Before the Afghanistan Test, head coach Gautam Gambhir threw his support behind Sudharsan for a long rope. Sudharsan is also awaiting CoE fitness clearance. The left-hander retired hurt on 7 in the second innings of the first unofficial Test against Sri Lanka ‘A’ last month and did not return to bat, albeit the exact nature of his injury remains unknown. Despite having previously scored 132 in the first innings of the first game at Galle, the site of the first Test of the forthcoming series, he did play in the second game, hitting 168 and an undefeated 25.
After completing a 3-0 sweep in 2017, this is India’s first visit of Sri Lanka under the format in nine years. The two-Test series starts on August 15. The first Test will take place at Galle, while the second match will take place at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo starting on August 23. On August 7, India will play a four-day warm-up match in Colombo.
Also Read – Who Is Saransh Jain? Inside The 11-Year Journey That Finally Led Him To India’s Test Squad