Shubman Gill has backed Manav Suthar to fill India’s batting-depth gap as the side prepares for its 600th Test match in Galle. The move puts a promising all-rounder at the center of selection thinking before Sri Lanka in Galle, where India wants extra runs from lower down the order.
Manav Suthar and batting depth
Manav Suthar is being viewed as a potential game-changer because India has adopted a more specialized player lineup. In practical terms, that means the lower order cannot be treated as an afterthought. A player who can bat deeper gives the side more cover if the top order is exposed early and can change how aggressively the captain uses the rest of the XI.
The series also carries weight beyond the match itself. It sits inside the World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign, so India’s team balance is being judged not just for one Test but for the points that follow. That makes the choice around batting depth more than a bench decision; it shapes how much risk India can take with the rest of the lineup.
Bumrah and Sudharsan sidelined
India is managing injuries to Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan at the same time, and Auqib Nabi and Sarfaraz Khan have stepped in as reinforcements. That combination leaves the squad with less certainty than a typical Test build-up, especially when the team is trying to add stability at the bottom of the order without weakening its bowling options.
Selection pressure remains between Gurnoor Brar and Prasidh Krishna, while Mohammed Siraj is expected to play. KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja have shared past experience of playing in Sri Lanka, which gives India at least some familiar reference points inside a changing squad. For Gill, the immediate task is to protect balance: enough batting to survive a collapse, enough bowling to press Sri Lanka in Galle.
India’s 600th Test match
India’s 600th Test match is the milestone around which all of these decisions now turn. The question is not simply whether Suthar is included, but whether his batting can justify a more flexible structure in a side already reshaped by injuries and reinforcements. That choice will tell you how much freedom India wants at the bottom of the order when the Test begins.
