Dhruv Jurel vs Sarfaraz Khan — Who will play in India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test?

The biggest talking point in the build up to India’s tour of Sri Lanka has been Sarfaraz Khan replacing the injured Sai Sudharsan.

Also Read

Why did Ishan Kishan leave the field after scoring 250 runs during Duleep Trophy final?

Ishan Kishan becomes third East Zone batter to score double century in Duleep Trophy

Bavuma, Coetzee return to South Africa squad for Australia ODI series

Plugin developed by ProSEOBlogger. Get free gpl themes.

The 28-year-old Sarfaraz last played a Test against New Zealand late in 2024 before falling out of favour. Jurel, on the other hand, has been a consistent presence in the team under Shubman Gill.

Ahead of the first Test, beginning in Galle on Saturday, head coach Gautam Gambhir faces a selection dilemma in the middle order.

Should Dhruv Jurel continue?

Jurel has endured a tough run over the last year. He scored just 20 runs across four innings in the South Africa series in 2025 and then put up just 19 in the one-off Test against Afghanistan in June this year.

The 25-year-old, however, has an unbeaten 141 and another half century under his belt, which he scored during India A’s tour to Sri Lanka. Rishabh Pant is expected to remain the first-choice wicketkeeper for the two-match series in Sri Lanka. But the current management’s insistence on giving an extended run to players might come to Jurel’s aid.

What works in Sarfaraz Khan’s favour?

The spin-friendly conditions on offer in Sri Lanka tilt the balance in favour of Sarfaraz. The Mumbai batter is a liberal user of sweeps and slop-sweeps against the tweakers. Through his brief seven-Test-long career, Sarfaraz has averaged 95 against spinners while playing the sweep and slog-sweep shots. He’s been dismissed just once while taking this route.

During the training session on Thursday, both Jurel and Sarfaraz were practicing catches in the slip cordon. However, with a range of all-rounders at disposal, India is unlikely to pick both these batters.

Given the tame displays by the middle-order in the home series loss to South Africa, the choice between Jurel and Sarfaraz is likely to be given an extended deliberation by the team management.

Published on Aug 13, 2026