Padikkal At 3, No Kuldeep And Sarfaraz? India’s Likely Playing 11 For 1st Test Against Sri Lanka

The first Test of two-match series between India and Sri Lanka will be played at the Galle International Cricket Stadium from August 15 to 19.

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India to play Sri Lanka in 1st Test Aug 15-19.

Shubman Gill to captain India in 1st Test.

Padikkal likely at No. 3; Sarfaraz, Kuldeep may miss.

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India’s likely playing XI for 1st Test against Sri Lanka. (Picture Credit: AFP, Creimas)

The first Test of the two-match series between India and Sri Lanka will be played at the Galle International Cricket Stadium from August 15 to 19, with Shubman Gill set to lead the visitors in the series opener. Gill had limited participation in India’s three-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI last week, but he is expected to take his usual No. 4 spot in the batting order.

KL Rahul, who has been named Gill’s deputy for the series, is certain to open the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, the biggest selection dilemma for India could be at No. 3 following Sai Sudharsan’s absence.

Sudharsan batted at No. 3 position in India’s one-off Test against Afghanistan in June 2026 but was ruled out of the Sri Lanka series on Sunday. The 24-year-old left-hander has been replaced in the squad by Sarfaraz Khan, but the Mumbai batter faces stiff competition from Devdutt Padikkal for a place in the playing XI.

Sarfaraz made his Test debut in February 2024 and has played six Tests so far, while Padikkal made his international debut in the longest format a month later against England in Dharamsala. The Karnataka batter has strengthened his case for selection as No. 3 batter by scoring an unbeaten 142 on Day 2 of India’s warm-up match in Colombo.

With Sudharsan unavailable, Padikkal appears to be the frontrunner for the No. 3 position and could be handed a Test opportunity in Galle.

Gill is expected to continue at No. 4, followed by wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and world No. 1 Test all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja at No. 5 and 6 respectively.

The No. 7 position is another area that could spark debate. Dhruv Jurel is the other specialist wicketkeeper-batter in India’s squad for the Sri Lanka tour, while Saransh Jain provides an all-round option. Unlike Jurel, Saransh is a spin-bowling all-rounder who can contribute with the bat as well.

If the team management opts to include both Jurel and Saransh in the XI, then one out of Kuldeep Yadav and Manav Suthar will miss out.

Manav Suthar made an impressive Test debut for India against Afghanistan in Mullanpur in June 2026 and picked up six wickets in the first innings. He impressed with his all-round show in the warm-up fixture against Sri Lanka Cricket XI.

Mohammed Siraj is expected to lead the pace attack, but the second seamer’s spot remains up for grabs. Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar and Auqib Nabi Dar are in contention for the final pace-bowling slot, making it another intriguing selection call ahead of the series opener.

India’s likely playing XI for 1st Test against Sri Lanka: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhurv Jurel, Saranash Jain, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

About the Author

Harshit BishtSenior Sub-editor

Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist at CNN-News18, where he has been covering cricket, football, and major sporting events from around the world since July 1, 2024. Driven by a passion for storytelli…Read More

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Original source: https://www.news18.com/cricket/