Ind vs SL: Shubman Gill suffers finger injury, misses Day 1 of India's warm-up match ahead of Sri Lanka Tests

India captain Shubman Gill will not take the field on Day 1 of the team's three-day warm-up match against the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) XI after sustaining an impact injury to his right ring finger during a practice session.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday said Gill's absence was only a precautionary measure and that the medical team is monitoring his recovery.

"Captain Shubman Gill sustained an impact injury to his right ring finger during India's practice on Thursday. As a precautionary measure, he will not take the field on Day 1 of the warm-up game against SLC XI. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring his progress," the BCCI said in an update on Friday.


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The board did not specify the severity of the injury or whether it could affect Gill's availability for the remainder of the warm-up fixture or the upcoming Test series.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Cricket XI won the toss and elected to bat first in the practice match at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo.

The warm-up game is India's only competitive outing before the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka begins in Galle on August 15, making it an important opportunity for the visitors to adapt to local conditions and strengthen position on the World Test Championship points table.

India's batters are expected to use the match to fine-tune their game against spin, an area that proved challenging during recent home Test series against New Zealand and South Africa. Several frontline players, including Gill, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, had already begun preparing for spin bowling before travelling to Sri Lanka, but the practice match offers their first chance to face it in match conditions on Sri Lankan pitches.

Also Read: Auqib Nabi replaces injured Jasprit Bumrah in India's Test squad for Sri Lanka series

The series also marks a relatively new experience for much of the Indian squad. India last played a Test series in Sri Lanka in 2017, and only KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav from the current squad have previously featured in Tests on Sri Lankan soil.

With Jasprit Bumrah unavailable due to injury, Mohammed Siraj will spearhead India's pace attack, supported by Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Manav Suthar, Aquib Nabi and Saransh Jain. The largely inexperienced bowling unit will also be looking to acclimatise to Sri Lankan conditions before the Test series.

Ahead of the tour, head coach Gautam Gambhir stressed the importance of making full use of the warm-up fixture.

"We know what is in front of us. We can do volume, we can push our limits, we can tick all the boxes and come 15th morning whether we are batting first or bowling first we will be absolutely ready with every answer to every question thrown at us. So make sure to tick all the boxes from now on," Gambhir said in a video shared by the BCCI.

However, intermittent rain is forecast in Colombo over the next few days, which could disrupt India's preparations before the opening Test.

Ind vs SL: Squads

India: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi.

SLC XI: Nishan Madushka, Ravindu Rashantha, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Pavan Rathnayake, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Sonal Dinusha (Captain), Anjala Bandara (wk), Nipun Dananjaya, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Asanka Manoj, Isitha Wijesundara, Ramesh Mendis, Kesara Nuwantha, Dilum Sudeera.