IND vs SL Tests | 'He is very much ready...': Sairaj Bahutule on Shubman Gill ahead of first match

Shubman Gill (Pic: X/@BCCI)

Team India secured a win by six wickets in the warm-up Test match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo.

During the match, Team India's skipper Shubman Gill missed out on the first two days of the clash as he sustained a hit on his finger during the training session.

Later, he took the field on the final day of the three-day warm-up game and scored 44 runs in 54 balls, including seven boundaries.

On his return, Team India's spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule said that the rest was just a precaution and the right-handed batsman is very much ready for the Test match.

"It was just a precaution more than anything else. And he has been absolutely fine. He has been doing his training. And the management decided that we could just take that precaution of not putting him into that first day (of the practice match). And I think everything, the way he batted in the second inning, was again flawless. He is very much ready for the Test match," he said as quoted by Cricinfo.

After securing a win in the warm-up match, the visitors will gear up to lock horns with Sri Lanka in the two-match Test series, beginning from August 15. The first match will be played at the Galle International Cricket Stadium near Galle Fort.

Ahead of the match, Madhya Pradesh's veteran off-spinner Saransh Jain has received a maiden call-up. He has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket. According to several media reports, Jain was in contention for the series due to Washington Sundar's unavailability for the first Test match. Sundar is busy with his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury.

Also, veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will mark his comeback after recovering from a tennis elbow injury during the concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

Team India has included Aquib Nabi in the squad as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement. The side is 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.

India's updated squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka

Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi, Sarfaraz Khan.

(With ANI Inputs)