Former Indian cricket team veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has announced his probable playing XI for the upcoming first Test against Sri Lanka. Ashwin made some tough decisions while announcing the team on his official YouTube channel. He surprised cricket fans by excluding in-form Sarfaraz Khan and fast bowler Prasidh Krishna from his playing XI.

India vs Sri Lanka: Ravichandran Ashwin picks playing 11 for first Test, Sarfraz and Prasidh dropped

Reliance on three spinners, Ranji star bowler ignored

Conditions in Sri Lanka are generally similar to those on the Indian subcontinent, with pitches offering significant assistance to spin bowlers as the game progresses. Given the Indian batsmen’s struggles against spin in the home series against New Zealand and South Africa, Ashwin has included three main spinners in his team.

Ashwin has selected Ravindra Jadeja, Saransh Jain, and Kuldeep Yadav as spinners in his playing XI. In the fast bowling department, he has preferred Gurnur Brar over Aqib Nabi Dar, who took 60 wickets in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season. Experienced Mohammed Siraj has been included as the second specialist pacer in the team.

Jurel preferred over Sarfraz in the middle order

Ashwin hasn’t made any major changes to the top-5 batting order. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been assigned to open the innings. Devdutt Padikkal, who scored a century in the practice match against Sri Lanka XI, has been placed at No. 3. Captain Shubman Gill is at No. 4, and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant is at No. 5.

The biggest decision was the selection at number six, where Ashwin chose Dhruv Jurel over specialist batsman Sarfaraz Khan. Jurel has performed consistently in recent times in domestic cricket and with the national team.

Ashwin’s chosen playing 11

• KL Rahul
• Yashasvi Jaiswal
• Devdutt Padikkal
• Shubman Gill (Captain)
• Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper)
• Dhruv Jurel
• Ravindra Jadeja
• Saransh Jain
• Gurnoor Brar
• Kuldeep Yadav
• Mohammed Siraj

Ashwin’s statement

What does it mean for the series?

The Indian team has faced significant difficulties against spin on home soil in Test series. Sri Lanka, too, is likely to field at least three spinners on its home pitches. Therefore, this tour will prove to be strategically crucial for the Indian middle order.