Sarfaraz Khan omitted from India XI for first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle

Sarfaraz Khan was not included in India’s playing XI for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle on August 15, 2026, the opening match of the two-Test series.

The fixture forms part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27, where India sit fifth and Sri Lanka sixth in the standings, and it is also India’s 600th Test. Shubman Gill, leading the side, won the toss and chose to bat, with the team expecting the pitch to offer batting conditions early in the match.

India’s selected XI featured two specialist openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul, followed by Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal and Rishabh Pant in the middle order. The side was arranged to include five bowlers — described as two pacers and three spinners — and the full list named Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna as part of the eleven.

Sarfaraz had been recalled to the Test squad after a lengthy absence but was left out of the matchday eleven. His return to the squad came after Sai Sudharsan was ruled out due to injury, yet the team management elected to persist with Dhruv Jurel in the playing XI.

Dhruv Jurel had a difficult warm-up match, scoring only 1 and 17, but the selectors retained him for the opening Test. Devdutt Padikkal produced a century in the warm-up and secured the No.3 slot, which the selectors saw as limiting a clear top-order place for Sarfaraz.

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin commented on Sarfaraz’s situation and the need for role clarity. “I’ve said it before, for Sarfaraz Khan too, messaging is very important. If someone thinks Sarfaraz Khan can be suspect in some conditions, then you need to give him clarity,” Ashwin said.

India’s choice to omit Sarfaraz from the first Test does not preclude his involvement in the series return fixture; with only two Tests scheduled, Sarfaraz can still be considered for the second Test if the team management decides to alter the combination.