Indian skipper Gill suffers finger injury ahead of first Sri Lanka Test

COLOLBO: Indian skipper Shubman Gill sustained an injury to his right ring finger during a practice session ahead of the first Sri Lanka Test scheduled from August 15 onwards.

The injury comes as a serious blow to India ahead of the Test series and is being monitored by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical team. As a precautionary measure, he is missing Day 1 of the warm-up match against SLC XI taking place on Friday. KL Rahul is leading the team in his absence.

The BCCI posted on X, “Update: Captain Shubman Gill sustained an impact injury to his right ring finger during India’s practice on Thursday. As a precautionary measure, he will not take the field on Day 1 of the warm-up game against SLC XI. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress. KL Rahul will lead the team in Gill’s absence”.

Update: Captain Shubman Gill sustained an impact injury to his right ring finger during India’s practice on Thursday. As a precautionary measure, he will not take the field on Day 1 of the warm-up game against SLC XI. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress.

KL Rahul… https://t.co/Mzu2yW4OgX

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 7, 2026

SLC XI won the toss and opted to bat against India in this three-day warm-up game. The two-match Test series will get underway with the opening game at the Galle International Cricket Stadium from August 15 to 19, before the teams move to Colombo for the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club from August 23 to 27.

India’s ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the series as he has not fully recovered from the left knee injury he sustained during the ODI series against England. The Men’s Selection Committee has included Aquib Nabi in the squad as Bumrah’s replacement.

India are also grappling with multiple injury concerns ahead of the series, with Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy sidelined due to hamstring and quadriceps injuries, respectively. Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the opening Test with a hamstring issue, while Akash Deep remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from stress reactions in his back.

The series will form part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. Led by Shubman Gill, India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship standings, having registered four wins and four losses in nine matches, with a Points Percentage (PCT) of 48.150.

India’s squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain and Auqib Nabi.
*Subject to fitness clearance. (ANI)