Auqib Nabi handed maiden India call-up as Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of Sri Lanka Tests

Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi has earned his maiden India call-up after being named as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement for the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka, marking a remarkable rise for the 29-year-old seamer who played a pivotal role in his state team's historic Ranji Trophy triumph.

Nabi's rise built on Ranji Trophy dominance

Nabi forced his way into the senior side on the back of two outstanding Ranji Trophy seasons, claiming 104 wickets across the campaigns. His 60 wickets in the 2025-26 season were instrumental in Jammu and Kashmir lifting their maiden Ranji Trophy title — a landmark achievement for the region in India's premier domestic competition.

His performances also earned him a place in the India A squad for the recent tour of Sri Lanka, where he picked up six wickets in two four-day matches against Sri Lanka A, including impressive figures of 4 for 58 in the first innings of the opening game.

Bumrah's frustrating wait continues

Bumrah, meanwhile, has been ruled out after failing to recover fully from the left knee injury he sustained during the ODI series against England. The premier fast bowler developed swelling in his knee before the final ODI at Lord's on June 19 and had been included in India's squad for the Sri Lanka series subject to clearing a fitness assessment at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

However, the 31-year-old has not recovered in time, further delaying his return to Test cricket. Bumrah's workload had already been carefully managed following the back injury he suffered during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. He featured in only three of the five Tests in England last year before being rested for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in June.

A BCCI source had earlier told Times of India that the medical team was cautiously optimistic about Bumrah's availability. "Bumrah will start bowling this week and his workload will be gradually increased. He needs to get used to bowling longer spells again," the source said. "The medical team at CoE will be closely monitoring it, and the initial reports are that he should be good to start the first Test."

Ultimately, though, the swelling and the need to gradually rebuild his bowling workload meant Bumrah was unable to prove his fitness in time for the series.

High stakes in the WTC race

The two-Test series against Sri Lanka, beginning August 15 in Galle, carries significant weight in India's World Test Championship campaign. "These two Test matches are very important for India. Dropping even one Test here will put immense pressure on the team to qualify for the WTC final next year," the BCCI source emphasised.

Updated India squad for Sri Lanka series

• Shubman Gill (c)
• KL Rahul (vc)
• Yashasvi Jaiswal
• Rishabh Pant (wk)
• Sai Sudharsan* (subject to fitness clearance)
• Dhruv Jurel (wk)
• Ravindra Jadeja
• Kuldeep Yadav
• Manav Suthar
• Mohammed Siraj
• Prasidh Krishna
• Gurnoor Brar
• Devdutt Padikkal
• Saransh Jain
• Auqib Nabi

*Sai Sudharsan remains part of the squad subject to fitness clearance as he recovers from a hamstring injury.