India’s two-Test tour of Sri Lanka is all set to kick-off on August 15 in Galle. The series is extremely crucial for Shubman Gill’s men as they look to climb in the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 standings.
With two weeks remaining for the Test series, former cricketer Abhinav Mukund named his ideal India playing XI. Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul were his first-choice openers, followed by skipper Shubman Gill at No. 4.
Between Sai Sudarshan and Devdutt Padikkal, Mukund preferred the former, citing his impressive red-ball form in the recent India A tour of Sri Lanka.
Mukund picked wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant for No. 5 slot, followed by Ravindra Jadeja. He went for a second specialist wicketkeeper in Dhruv Jurel at No. 7, after discussing other names for the similar role including Padikkal and Saransh Jain.
Manav Suthar, who earned the Player-of-the-Match on his Test debut against Afghanistan, was selected for No. 8 spot as spin-bowling all-rounder. Kuldeep Yadav was the premier spinner in Mukund’s team.
The ex-India opener put the fast-bowling receptibilities on the shoulders of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
Abhinav Mukund’s India XI for Galle Test: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
India currently sit fifth in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 standings, holding 52 points and a points percentage (PCT) of 48.15%. Having played exactly half of their 18 scheduled matches, India's campaign has been a true mixed bag, consisting of four wins, four losses, and one draw.
India opened the cycle on a positive note, securing a hard-fought 2-2 draw during a grueling five-match series in England. They sustained momentum with a dominant 2-0 clean sweep over the West Indies at home, which temporarily propelled them into the top half of the standings.
However, the biggest setback came via a shocking 2-0 home series defeat against South Africa. A staggering 408-run defeat in the Guwahati Test severely bruised India's qualification chances and caused them to tumble down to fifth.
The race for the final at The Oval is highly competitive, with India currently trailing behind Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and Bangladesh.
