India's Cricket Selectors Await Washington Sundar's Fitness for Sri Lanka Tour

NEW DELHI: The men's senior selection committee, chaired by Ajit Agarkar, is likely to pick the squad for the upcoming two-Test tour of Sri Lanka, starting August 15 in Galle. Informal discussions took place on the sidelines of the white-ball tour in England, and a formal meeting will convene soon for the crucial series. It is learnt that the selectors are waiting for clarity on Washington Sundar, who injured himself during the three-ODI series. The all-rounder was forced to miss the series decider at Lord's and is likely to check into the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) for the necessary clearance. The official word from the Indian cricket board mentioned an injury to the right hamstring. TimesofIndia.com has learnt that while the pain subsided when he reached London, he was asked to undergo scans, which were later shared with the specialists for an opinion. It is further understood that even if it's just a pull or a Grade 1 injury, the 26-year-old could take at least two weeks to regain complete match fitness. Since the Indian squad is likely to leave for Sri Lanka as early as August 4 to commence preparations, it remains to be seen how the selectors will handle the Washington situation. The Shubman Gill-led squad will also feature in a four-day warm-up fixture before the Galle Test. The squad from the one-off Test against Afghanistan last month is set to change, as the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja are expected to return. It remains to be seen whether Harsh Dubey retains his spot if Washington is unable to regain fitness, or if the selectors opt for an off-spinner like Saransh Jain to maintain variety in the spin-attack. Manav Suthar and Kuldeep Yadav are likely to retain their positions, while the pace attack is expected to feature Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar and Prasidh Krishna. Jadeja wasn't picked for the fixture against Afghanistan after the IPL, but Agarkar maintained that the experienced all-rounder remains the "no. 1 spinner in the format". Regarding batting, the usual names will continue, and a decision is likely to be made on the two all-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy and Sundar. Will the selectors opt for the seam-bowling all-rounder currently undergoing rehabilitation at the CoE, or will they look towards a specialist? These couple of calls will be interesting in what promises to be an otherwise expected squad.

India have struggled in Tests under head coach Gautam Gambhir, having been whitewashed by New Zealand and South Africa at home. They need a strong series in Sri Lanka to keep their World Test Championship final qualification chances alive. After the Sri Lanka tour, India will play New Zealand, in New Zealand, before hosting Australia for five Tests at home.