MUMBAI: In a big blow to India, their in-form No. 3 batter Sai Sudharsan has been ruled out of the upcoming two-Test series in Sri Lanka due to a toe injury, TOI has exclusively learnt.Sudharsan did not take the flight when the Indian team took off from Mumbai for Sri Lanka on Tuesday (August 4), and thus missed the ongoing three-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI in Colombo, which began on Friday (August 8). Sudharsan’s untimely injury could open the door for middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, who has consistently done well for Mumbai in domestic cricket over the past few years.“Sai has been at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for the past few days to undergo treatment for his toe injury. His injury has almost healed, and he was thus confident that he would be declared fit today and travel to Sri Lanka. However, he still hasn’t sufficiently recovered from his injury to be declared completely fit for this series. His recovery may take slightly longer,” a source in the BCCI told TOI on Saturday.It’s learnt that the CoE’s medical team has now become extra cautious after a few cases emerged, pacer Harshit Rana being a classic example, of players breaking down despite being cleared by the BCCI facility.The left-hander’s injury is a big setback for India considering the fact that he had slammed back-to-back centuries for India A during their shadow tour of Sri Lanka last month. A prolific batter for Gujarat Titans, where he opened alongside India’s Test captain Shubman Gill in the IPL, Sudharsan is regarded as a key member of the Test side, with India’s team management looking to give him an extended run at No. 3. The Tamil Nadu batter has featured in seven Tests and scored 383 runs at an average of 39, with three half-centuries.However, providing huge relief to India on a day when Sudharsan was ruled out, replacing him at the critical and pivotal No. 3 spot, Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal slammed an unbeaten century (103 not out at the time of writing this) and is thus the favourite to bat at the one-down position in the opening Test of the series in Galle, which begins on August 15. Ironically, Padikkal too is a left-hander.
Gill injury minor
Meanwhile, in a relief for India, it’s learnt that India’s Test captain Shubman Gill’s finger injury, which he suffered while batting in the nets, is “minor,” and he will be fit in time for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. The finger injury forced Gill to miss the ongoing warm-up match as a precautionary measure.“Gill’s injury isn’t serious. It’s like a bruise you get when your finger gets stuck in the door. He will be fine soon,” a source tracking developments told this paper.
