Senior India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is available for selection ahead of the two-Test series against Sri Lanka after recovering from a tennis elbow injury, according to Cricinfo. His return comes as a timely boost for the Indian team, with the national selection committee expected to announce the squad on Monday. Jadeja has been out of action since IPL 2026, but he is now back in contention for what could be a pivotal assignment in India’s World Test Championship campaign.
India will begin the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka on August 15 at the Galle International Cricket Stadium, before the second Test gets underway at the SSC in Colombo on August 23. Both matches carry significant weight in the current 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle, with India placed fifth and Sri Lanka sixth in the standings. For Shubman Gill’s side, this tour offers a crucial opportunity to climb the table and stay in the race for a third WTC final appearance.
The Sri Lanka tour will mark India’s first WTC assignment since their 2-0 home defeat to South Africa in November, a setback that dented their momentum in the cycle. Before that, India had drawn the five-Test series in England 2-2 and completed a clean 2-0 home win over the West Indies, results that showed their red-ball strength was still intact. However, with only nine Tests left in the current cycle, every match now carries added pressure and importance.
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India will also arrive in Sri Lanka early to play a four-day warm-up match at the NCC Ground in Colombo before the opening Test. That extra preparation is expected to help the players adapt to the spin-friendly surfaces in Galle and Colombo, where conditions are likely to play a major role in deciding the series.
Jadeja’s return is a major positive, but the selectors are still monitoring the fitness of several players before finalising the squad. Jasprit Bumrah is expected to be available despite the knee issue that kept him out of the final ODI against England as a precaution. Meanwhile, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana are dealing with hamstring injuries, while Nitish Kumar Reddy is unlikely to recover in time from a quadriceps injury. Washington could still be added later if he is cleared for the second Test.
Jadeja is fit and available for SL test series selection
Where as Nitish reddy is still at COE under rehabilitation pic.twitter.com/V8RzzEn9qE— cricmawa (@cricmawa) July 27, 2026
The selectors are also weighing up spin options, with Saransh Jain in the frame after an impressive India A tour of Sri Lanka. The off-spinning all-rounder picked up six wickets and scored an unbeaten 70 in Galle, while left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey remains a strong backup option if another slow-bowling choice is needed.
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India are expected to keep their batting order largely settled. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul are likely to continue as openers, while Sai Sudharsan should retain his place at No. 3 after his strong India A performances. Captain Shubman Gill is expected to bat at No. 4, with Rishabh Pant continuing as the first-choice wicketkeeper. Dhruv Jurel is set to travel as reserve keeper, and Devdutt Padikkal remains in contention as an additional batting option.
If fully fit, Bumrah is likely to lead the pace attack alongside Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Gurnoor Brar has strengthened his case after taking 10 wickets for India A against Sri Lanka A, while Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Manav Suthar and Jadeja are expected to form the backbone of India’s spin attack.
