Sai Sudharsan stayed back in Bengaluru to complete his toe injury rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence instead of flying to Sri Lanka with the Indian squad for two-match Test series.

According to a report in Sportstar, the southpaw is expected to resume batting at full intensity later this week under close medical supervision, with hopes of joining the Indian squad in Sri Lanka for a three-day practice match once cleared.

The Test series is slated to get underway on August 15 in Galle. Before that, the Shubman Gill-led visiting side will play a three-day warm-up fixture at the NCC Ground in Colombo starting from August 7.

The report, citing sources in the CoE, claimed that the team management is prioritizing complete match-readiness over a rushed return to prevent re-injury during Test matches.

The team management has reportedly structured a specific roadmap to integrate Sudharsan back into the national squad. He must complete his batting drills at the BCCI Centre of Excellence entirely pain-free. If the left-hander encounters no discomfort, medical staff will clear him to fly to Sri Lanka.

Sai Sudharsan will use India's scheduled warm-up match against a local Sri Lankan XI as his final match-fitness examination.

The rest of the Indian squad touched down Colombo on Tuesday (August 4), well ahead of the practice match.