India's squad for the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka has been announced, and the biggest talking point is a name missing from it, Harsh Dubey. The series gets underway next month on August 15.
Returns and exits
The squad picked for Sri Lanka closely resembles the one that played the lone Test against Afghanistan in June. Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna are all back, though Bumrah's participation will depend on his fitness. On the flip side, three players have exited the squad, Washington Sundar is unavailable for the first Test, while Nitish Reddy and Harsh Dubey have been left out of the entire series squad.
Harsh Dubey's story
Harsh Dubey had been included in India's squad for the solitary Test against Afghanistan but never got a chance to debut in that match. The Saurashtra spin-bowling all-rounder has been in excellent domestic form and was being viewed as a potential replacement for players like Jadeja and Washington. Yet the moment the squad changed for the Sri Lanka series, his name disappeared from it. On the bright side, he did get to feature in the ODI series against Afghanistan.
Why Saransh Jain gets the nod instead
Saransh Jain is the lone new face in India's Test squad for the Sri Lanka series, taking the spot vacated by Harsh. That raises the question of why Harsh was dropped in the first place. Interestingly, both Harsh and Saransh are spin-bowling all-rounders who have delivered strong performances for their respective domestic sides. It appears the Board of Control for Cricket in India may now be looking to groom Saransh for the national setup the same way it did with Harsh earlier.
Saransh's Test debut chances look strong
Harsh likely missed out on a debut against Afghanistan simply because it was a one off Test and India fielded their strongest possible XI. Saransh's situation is different, since Washington Sundar is unavailable for the first Test due to injury, which significantly boosts his chances of a debut. With Jadeja also back in the fold, it will be worth watching what kind of playing eleven captain Shubman Gill fields in Sri Lanka.
