Twenty-nine-year-old seamer Auqib Nabi has received his maiden call-up to the Indian Test squad, replacing the injured Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming series in Sri Lanka. Bumrah was officially ruled out of the touring party on Monday, as he has yet to recover from a left knee niggle sustained during the second ODI against England in Cardiff last month. His injury is an extension of health issues that have persisted since the T20 World Cup.
Nabi, a seamer from Jammu and Kashmir, arrives with significant momentum. He secured 104 wickets across the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, including 60 during the 2025-26 campaign, which proved pivotal in Jammu and Kashmir's first-ever Ranji Trophy victory. Additionally, he gained experience with the India A squad during their recent tour of Sri Lanka, where he took six wickets across two first-class matches. Should he make his debut, he will become the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to play Test cricket for India.
The Indian team faces a series of fitness challenges as they prepare to fly out on Tuesday. Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy are already sidelined with quadriceps and hamstring injuries, respectively. Washington Sundar will miss the first Test due to a hamstring injury, while Akash Deep is currently undergoing a long recovery following back stress reactions.
The two-Test series is scheduled to begin in Galle on August 15, preceded by a three-day warm-up match in Colombo starting August 7. Alongside Nabi, India's seam bowling options for the series include Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Gurnoor Brar.
India squad for Sri Lanka Tests: Shubman Gill (capt), KL Rahul (vice-capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), B Sai Sudharsan (subject to fitness clearance), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Auqib Nabi, Devdutt Padikkal, and Saransh Jain.
Auqib Nabi shows off the ball he completed his five-for with, Jammu & Kashmir vs Karnataka, Ranji Trophy final, Hubballi, 4th day, February 27, 2026
Auqib Nabi, the 29-year-old seamer from Jammu and Kashmir, has replaced the injured Jasprit Bumrah in India's Test squad for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.
