Before deciding on the team for the Test series in Sri Lanka, India’s selectors are expecting a new batch of fitness assessments from the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. The availability of players like Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep, and Anshul Kamboj would be among the main topics of discussion when the national selection committee meets in the next ten to thirty-six hours.
Naturally, as they are limited to white-ball cricket, Hardik Pandya and Varun Chakaravarthy, who are also at the CoE, are not eligible to be selected for the Sri Lanka tour. However, they won’t be the only ones to lose out on the Sri Lankan tour.
Washington, who has always been favored by the team management under Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill, is a question mark, and Rana and Reddy are most likely out of the running.
Washington, an off-spinner with top-order batting experience, will be a great asset because the conditions in Sri Lanka are predicted to help spinners. However, the 26-year-old all-rounder’s availability for the series is still uncertain due to a hamstring injury. A conditional selection for the second Test, which begins on August 23, is one option, but even that seems unlikely.
There is some uncertainty over Bumrah’s availability for the Tests, which will be a part of the current WTC cycle, given that he is anticipated to join the CoE. He hasn’t played much cricket since the IPL, so there’s a good chance he’ll be included. Although his left knee injury was not thought to be too serious, he was unable to play in the last ODI against England at Lord’s. While fielding in the second ODI in Cardiff, Jasprit Bumrah had an impact injury to his left knee. The BCCI had stated that the spearhead was unable to be selected for the third ODI because of reactive edema in his left knee.
Like Washington, Rana is likely out due to a hamstring injury, while Nitish, the all-format player, has reportedly been informed that the team management is only considering him for white-ball cricket at this time. Therefore, it is anticipated that he won’t play again until September, when India plays a series of white-ball games. Only in November, when India is slated to play two WTC Tests in New Zealand, might he make his next red-ball outing.
The majority of the players who participated in the one-off Test match against Afghanistan last month are anticipated to keep their spots in the team, which should include Ravindra Jadeja, who was unable to play in New Chandigarh.
The selection meeting was initially scheduled for Tuesday, but it might really happen online on Monday.
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