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COLOMBO: India’s preparations for their upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka have suffered a fresh setback after captain Shubman Gill was forced to miss the opening day of a three-day warm-up match due to a finger injury. Gill sustained an injury to his right-hand finger during a practice session on Thursday, prompting the Indian team management to take a cautious approach. The Test captain was rested for the first day of the warm-up fixture against a Sri Lanka XI as the medical team continues to monitor his condition. The development immediately raised concerns over Gill’s availability for the Test series, although there is currently no indication that he will miss the opening match. In Gill’s absence, vice-captain KL Rahul took charge of the Indian side. Rahul’s experience will be particularly valuable as India look to make the most of their final preparation ahead of the two-Test series. Recent reports also confirmed that Rahul led India at the toss after Gill was ruled out of the opening day. The Indian camp is already dealing with a lengthy injury list. Star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the Test series with a knee problem, while Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar are also unavailable because of different injuries. Gill’s fitness will therefore be closely watched over the next two days. According to the team’s medical update, a decision on whether he will return to the warm-up match will be made after further assessment. India are scheduled to begin their two-Test series against Sri Lanka on August 15 in Galle, with the second Test set to be played in Colombo from August 23. For India, the priority is clear: avoid taking unnecessary risks with their captain now and ensure Gill is fully fit when the real contest begins. The latest setback adds another layer of uncertainty to an already injury-hit Indian squad, making Gill’s recovery one of the biggest talking points ahead of the series.

Arshad Nadeem, Pakistan’s reigning Olympic champion, has punched his ticket to the men’s javelin throw final at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. He came through a tricky qualification round in Glasgow on Thursday to get there. Strong winds made life hard for every thrower in the field. None of them managed to reach the automatic qualifying distance of 84 metres, which made the round unusually unpredictable. Arshad, seen by many as a top medal contender, got things going with a throw of 78.63 metres on his first attempt. His second try was ruled a foul. He then closed out the round with a throw of 75.65 metres. That mark was not enough to hit the automatic cutoff, but it easily secured his place among the twelve finalists heading into Friday. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage led all qualifiers with a throw of 82.84 metres. Anderson Peters of Grenada, the current world champion, was next best at 81.29 metres. Only two other athletes crossed the 80-metre line, South Africa’s Douw Smit, who reached 80.64 metres, and England’s Benjamin East, who managed 80.38 metres. India’s Neeraj Chopra, who has long been Arshad’s fiercest competitor, also booked his spot in the final. He started with a throw of 76.28 metres, then pushed further to 79.61 metres on his second attempt to confirm qualification. India actually secured three finalists in total. Rohit Yadav joined Chopra after throwing a best of 78.37 metres, while Yashveer Singh kept improving across his attempts and eventually settled for 78.36 metres. It was not such good news for Pakistan’s other entrant, Muhammad Yasir Sultan. He fouled his first throw, then followed up with attempts of 71.42 and 74.36 metres. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to carry him into the final. Friday’s javelin final is scheduled for 7:45 PM Pakistan Standard Time. Pakistan has a long history at the Commonwealth Games, having first competed back in 1954. Since then, the country has amassed 82 medals overall, including 27 gold, 27 silver, and 28 bronze. Its most successful campaign in recent memory came at the 2022 Birmingham Games. A 68-member Pakistani contingent took part across 12 sports and ultimately finished 18th in the medal table with eight medals. That edition also marked one of Arshad’s finest moments. He won javelin gold with a Games record throw of 90.18 metres, delivering Pakistan’s first athletics gold at the Commonwealth Games since 1962.