TimesofIndia.com in Colombo: India are rocked by another injury blow as their designated No. 3 batter Sai Sudharsan is all but ruled out of the upcoming two-match series against Sri Lanka, starting August 15 in Galle.The southpaw is undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) for a niggle in his foot, but the management was optimistic about having him available before the first Test got underway. However, as things stand, it is highly unlikely that the Tamil Nadu batter will get the necessary clearances for the crucial fixtures.Shaik Rasheed or Sarfaraz Khan could be drafted in as a replacement for the batter. TimesofIndia.com has learnt that Sarfaraz has already been at the CoE for his fitness assessment for over a week, and Rasheed has also been asked to report to the Bengaluru facility on Sunday.Rasheed recently toured with the India A team for the two fixtures in Sri Lanka last month, contributing scores of 45, 63 and 20 in the three innings. The youngster has been on the selectors’ radar and was also scheduled to be part of a specialist batter camp at the CoE in the coming weeks. The camp is also set to feature players like R Smaran and Aman Mokhade.The Indian team management is reportedly worried about the lack of specialist batters and has already conveyed this need to the selectors. The selectors were keen to try out more specialist batters but could not because Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel featured in the two India A fixtures. It is understood that Sarfaraz has been advised by some key figures to bat higher up the order in the domestic circuit as he remains in the selectors’ scheme of things.The Mumbai batter is a quality player of spin, has worked hard on his fitness and has had enough experience of international cricket to ease into the set-up. But as things stand, it would not be a surprise if Rasheed gets the nod, as his progress has been constantly tracked and the feedback from the coaches at the CoE has been very good for the 21-year-old. An official word from the Indian cricket board is awaited, which will clarify the replacement.
