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Sai Sudharsan ruled out as COE plays safe amid fitness concerns ahead of Sri Lanka Tests

Sanjeev Kumar | August 9, 2026 10:22 AM CST

Sai Sudharsan has been ruled out of the two-Test series in Sri Lanka because of a toe stress fracture.

Both Sai and Jasprit Bumrah had been named in the initial squad of 15, but their participation was subject to a fitness clearance from the BCCI's Centre of Excellence.

Bumrah was ruled out last week because of his knee issue and replaced by Auqib Nabi.

The national selectors are still undecided on Sai's replacement, though Ruturaj Gaikwad's name is doing the rounds. Sarfaraz Khan is unlikely to get the nod since the selectors want someone who can bat at No. 3.

Test captain Shubman Gill is also under an injury cloud after injuring his right ring finger during a training session in Colombo, which has forced him to miss the ongoing three-day warm-up match against a SLC XI.

Sai is the latest on the list of players to miss out because of fitness issues. India are already without Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep for the Test series, while Washington Sundar too is unlikely to make it to Sri Lanka.

The fitness concerns have already brought the Centre of Excellence's credibility under the spotlight, with BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia planning a visit to the facility in Bengaluru on Sunday. Both Saikia and COE chief VVS Laxman are slated to address the media to dispel lingering doubts about several issues.

The COE's medical team is not willing to take any risks after having to pay the price recently for rushing a few players. Washington and Rana suffered fresh injuries in the UK after going through a long recovery stint at the COE. Both suffered hamstring injuries.

Even Gill had recently expressed surprise at the spate of injuries involving the team at the end of the ODI series in England. He said that if the players were not able to "finish a two-to-three-match series", it would be a concern at the ODI World Cup next year.