India have been dealt a blow with news that skipper Shubman Gill is nursing a finger injury ahead of the first test against Sri Lanka.
Gill copped a blow on his right ring finger during a training session on Thursday and will sit out the opening day of India's warm-up fixture against a Sri Lanka XI.
It remains to be seen whether Gill will be fit to lead the team in the first ICC World Test Championship contest against Sri Lanka that commences on August 15, with India suggesting medical staff will monitor the progress of the 26-year-old.
"Captain Shubman Gill sustained an impact injury to his right ring finger during India's practice on Thursday," India confirmed via a statement.
"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.
"KL Rahul will lead the team in Gill's absence."
India are already without the services of ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for the Sri Lanka tour due to knee injury, while Harshit Rana (hamstring), Nitish Kumar Reddy (quad) and Washington Sundar (hamstring) are also sidelined.
The two-match series carries significant weight in the race to reach the World Test Championship Final at The Oval next year, with India and Sri Lanka currently occupying fifth and sixth place in the standings respectively.
INDIA SQUAD: Shubman Gill (c), KL Rahul (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharsan (fitness pending), Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi
SERIES SCHEDULE:
First test: August 15-19, Galle
Second test: August 23-27, Colombo