Top News

Sarfaraz Khan Celebrates IND Test Recall by Posing in Jersey with Father; Can’t Stop Smiling

Sanjeev Kumar | August 11, 2026 1:22 PM CST

When Sai Sudharsan failed to recover in time from his injury ahead of the Test series vs Sri Lanka, it was a devastating blow to the southpaw.

But for a man who had been waiting in the wings for nearly two years, this was the chance to return to the side. Yes, who last played for India in 2024, was picked in his place ahead of the 1st Test that begins on August 15.

Training to Be Fit Paying Off

For the 28-year-old, the recall was the result of hard work in domestic cricket and his fitness. The right-hander lost 17 kilos by a vigorous training regime backed up by a proper diet. His reaction was all of us when he posted a pic on Instagram in the India jersey along with his father, who has backed him every step of the way.

Time for a Test Comeback

Sarfaraz last played for India in the Mumbai Test vs New Zealand that the hosts lost in three days and were whitewashed 3-0 by the kiwis. His numbers are not bad with 371 runs in six games at an average of 37.1 with a 100 and three 50s. His highest score is 150. Sarfaraz was picked for the tour to Australia in 2024-25 but never played. After that, he was left out of the series in England and the home series vs West Indies, South Africa and the one-off Test vs Afghanistan. But he was in great form in domestic cricket as he dominated the 2025 Ranji Trophy season with 429 under his belt at an average of 53.62.

Sarfaraz Khan's Golden Opportunity

The Test series in Sri Lanka is Sarfaraz's best chance to establish his place once again in the Test squad that is looking for stability in the wake of big guns such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin leaving the scene. Ravindra Jadeja is also in the twilight of his career as side finds itself in transition.

India Need to Climb the WTC Points Table India will be pushing for a 2-0 whitewash in a bid to rise on the WTC Points Table. At the moment, they are in 5th position with Bangladesh directly above them. They played the first two finals in 2021 and 2023 but lost both. Inaugural champions New Zealand are third with defending champions South Africa are in 2nd place. Australia, who won in 2023, are leading the pack. Back in Sri Lanka for Tests After Nine Years India have been plagued with injuries. Other than Sai and Jasprit Bumrah missing out, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana too failed to make it to the squad for fitness related reasons. The tourists are in Sri Lanka after nine years to play a Test series. In 2017, India whitewashed the hosts 3-0. Other than Jadeja, the only common squad members are KL Rahul and Kuldee Yadav. Shall we see a repeat of what happened back then, or will Sri Lanka pull a rabbit out of the hat? We will have the answer by August 27.