The BCCI on Tuesday announced a 15-member squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, set to be held in August. Among the notable picks were Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant. However, Bumrah’s participation is subject to fitness clearance from the Board. While speaking about the team selected, South Africa legend AB de Villiers expressed his surprise over the inclusion of Pant. He said that the player’s fitness and hunger to perform will be in focus.
“(Rishabh) Pant is there in the squad, which is a bit of a surprise. We’ll see what his fitness looks like and his appetite to perform. He looked a little low on confidence and energy in the IPL. But representing his country will likely bring out the best in him. I want to see him play with intensity,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
The two Tests will be played in Galle and Colombo and are part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC). India are currently fifth in the table, with Sri Lanka sixth, and both teams need valuable points in pursuit of qualification for the 2027 final.
De Villiers expressed his happiness over the return of the veteran duo of Jadeja and Bumrah to India’s squad.
“It’s great to see Jadeja’s name there. We never know these days when he is going to play and when he’s not. A fresh and fit Bumrah being back will bring huge energy to the team. Every time he’s in the side, the opposition batters need to be aware. He’s absolutely class,” said the former wicketkeeper-batter.
“It looks like he’s (Saransh Jain) similar to Washington Sundar. He has played for quite a while. He will give some options to Shubman Gill in the middle overs when the ball gets older. I think he’s more of a bowling all-rounder. With Jadeja and Kuldeep there, his addition gives the team great variety, especially when there are left-handers,” he added.
India’s squad for the Tests against Sri Lanka: Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal and Saransh Jain.