India’s Test captain Shubman Gill resumed batting practice in the nets on Sunday (August 9) after a finger injury ruled him out of the ongoing three-day warm-up match against Sri Lanka Cricket XI in Colombo.
In several pictures and videos going viral on the internet, Gill can be seen batting in the practice nets while the rest of his Indian teammates feature on Day 3 of the warm-up match at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo.
Shubman Gill going into the Nets! Taping seen on Right Hand! #SLCXIvsIND #TeamIndia #ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/Tl4veIGKhY
— Siddhi Meena (@SiddhiMeena92) August 9, 2026
Gill’s return to batting is a positive sign for India, as he will be a key player for the visitors in the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka,
starting August 15.
India have already lost Jasprit Bumrah and B Sai Sudharsan due to injury-related issues, and they cannot afford to miss Gill in the crucial away series.
The two Tests against Sri Lanka are must-win matches for India if they want to keep their hopes alive of finishing in the top two and qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2027 final at The Oval.
Gill, who was appointed India’s new Test captain in May 2025 after Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the five-day format, has been in red-hot form in recent times.
He scored more than 700 runs in the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Gujarat Titans to finish as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament. He then scored a century (126) in the one-off Test against Afghanistan in June 2026.
In the ODI series against Afghanistan at home, Gill played an unbeaten knock of 84 runs in the series opener and scored 154 runs in the second match. He maintained his red-hot form in the away ODI series against England as well, scoring 80*, 31 and 77 runs.
Since taking charge of Team India in June 2025, Gill has played eight Tests and scored 950 runs. He is India’s highest run-scorer in the World Test Championship and there will be high expectations from him in the Sri Lanka series.
