Sarfaraz Khan has been named in India’s Test squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka, replacing injured Sai Sudharshan. The BCCI confirmed the call-up on August 9, marking Sarfaraz’s return to the national setup after nearly two years away from international cricket.
“Sai Sudharsan has been ruled out of the Test series against Sri Lanka. The left-handed batter, who has been at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, has made significant progress in his recovery from the right toe stress reaction and is recovering well.”
BCCI media advisory, August 9, 2026
Sudharshan picked up the toe stress fracture during the second unofficial Test between India A and Sri Lanka A in Galle in late June. He was forced to retire hurt in the second innings of that match. Despite scores of 132, 7*, 168, and 25* on the India A tour, the injury proved more serious than expected. Sudharshan did not board the flight when the squad left Mumbai on August 4 and has been undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru since. He is the second player India have lost ahead of the Sri Lanka Tests, after Jasprit Bumrah was also replaced by Auqib Nabi earlier this week.
Sarfaraz will link up with the Indian squad in Colombo before the team travels to Galle for the first Test, starting August 15.
🚨 SARFARAZ KHAN IS BACK 🚨
Sarfaraz Khan has replaced Sai Sudarshan in the Indian Test squad for Sri Lanka series. https://t.co/TWHks81ENi pic.twitter.com/G2goL8Xmva
— Indian cricket (@Cricketpaglu45) August 9, 2026
The Instagram Post That Aged Differently
Two days before the BCCI announcement, Sarfaraz posted a message on his Instagram that went viral across cricket accounts on X.
“I may not fit in, but I’ll fight with everything I’ve got.”
Sarfaraz Khan, Instagram, August 7, 2026
The post referenced the sports drama Jersey and carried the caption “New Chapter Jersey 2.” At the time, it was read as frustration. Sarfaraz had been left out of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024-25, the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in 2025, and the original Sri Lanka Test squad announced on July 28. Three consecutive series without selection despite a domestic record that made his case impossible to ignore.
When chief selector Ajit Agarkar dropped him from the England tour squad in May 2025, he explained it simply.
“Sarfaraz, I know he got a 100 in the first Test and then didn’t get runs. Sometimes, it’s the decisions the team management takes.”
Ajit Agarkar, press conference, May 2025
What followed that snub was a complete physical transformation. Sarfaraz lost 17 kilograms in roughly eight weeks. His father and coach Naushad Khan told the Hindustan Times that the family cut out roti, rice, sugar, and bakery products entirely. Meals became grilled fish, chicken, boiled eggs, broccoli, and green tea. He trained twice a day at Cross Maidan in Mumbai, combining gym sessions with fielding drills. The mounting injury concerns across India’s squad meant the selectors needed players who were physically ready at short notice. Sarfaraz made sure he was.
Insider Read:
Walking into a dressing room as an injury replacement is different from walking in as a first-choice pick. Everyone knows you are there because someone got hurt, not because the selectors changed their mind about you. That awareness can make you tentative, playing like you are borrowing someone’s spot. Or it can free you up completely, because you have nothing to lose. Given where Sarfaraz has been for the last two years, the second outcome is more likely.
The numbers since his exclusion back that up. In the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy, Sarfaraz scored 429 runs in seven matches at an average of 53.62, including 227 off 219 balls against Hyderabad, his fifth first-class double century. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, he hammered 329 runs at a strike rate of 203.80 with three fifties and his maiden T20 century. He recorded the fastest List A fifty by any Indian male batter, off 15 balls in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He became the first player to score a first-class double century, a List A 150, and a T20 century in the same season.
Chennai Super Kings picked him up for Rs 75 lakh in the IPL 2026 accelerated auction round. He scored 50 off 25 balls against RCB at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and finished the season with 161 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 169.47.
Sarfaraz’s overall Test record stands at 6 matches, 371 runs at an average of 37.10 with one century and three fifties. His first-class average of 82.83 remains the second highest for any batter with 2,000 or more runs in the format.
India’s updated squad for the Sri Lanka Test series:
- 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
Sources:
BCCI media advisory, August 9, 2026
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