The Indian team, led by Shubman Gill, has received a major blow with Jasprit Bumrah being ruled out of the Sri Lankan tour due to a knee injury, which he sustained during the second ODI against England recently. Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi has been named as his replacement.
The two-match series against Sri Lanka, which is scheduled to start on Saturday, August 15, in Galle, is part of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27. According to The Indian Express, Bumrah is expected to take more time to return to the field.
While the BCCI expected Bumrah would regain full fitness ahead of the first Test, the ace pacer is understood to have felt discomfort in his knee at the CoE, and his return is expected to take more time.
While Bumrah is expected to return for the second Test in Sri Lanka, the BCCI CoE is unlikely to take any rest with the ace pacer. For India to make it to the WTC 2025-27 final, they need to win at least three out of their four Tests in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
“The Men’s Selection Committee has named Auqib Nabi as Bumrah’s replacement. The Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler earns his maiden call-up to the senior national team. Nabi claimed 104 wickets across the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, including 60 wickets in the 2025-26 campaign, playing a pivotal role in Jammu and Kashmir’s maiden Ranji Trophy triumph,” the BCCI stated.
Bumrah’s unavailability means India will have the pace battery, led by Mohammed Siraj. India is currently holding the fifth place in the World Test Championship (WTC 2025-27) standings, with a point percentage of 48.15, and Sri Lanka is placed sixth with 41.67.
The Indian Test squad will see the return of the veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who last played for India in January 2026 against New Zealand.
India’s updated squad for Tests against Sri Lanka: Shubman Gill [C], KL Rahul [VC], Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant [WK], Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel [WK], Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi
*Subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI CoE.
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