Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi replaces Jasprit Bumrah in India’s Test squad for Sri Lanka series
Squad changes for Sri Lanka Test series
India has announced its squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, featuring some new faces. The team will see the inclusion of two uncapped players. Notably, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the series due to an injury, leading to a change in the bowling lineup.
Auqib Nabi, a pacer from Jammu and Kashmir, has been named as the replacement for Bumrah. All-rounder Saransh Jain was part of the initial squad announcement. The team is scheduled to play a four-day practice match in Colombo, commencing on August 7, before the Test series begins.
The Men’s Selection Committee made the selections for the squad. The availability of Sai Sudharsan and Jasprit Bumrah was initially subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI COE. However, Bumrah has since been confirmed as unavailable due to injury. Additionally, Washington Sundar was not available for selection for the first Test.
The full squad for the Tests against Sri Lanka includes 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, and Auqib Nabi.
New additions to the squad
Auqib Nabi, the 29-year-old pacer, played a significant role in his state’s first Ranji Trophy triumph, where he also earned the player of the tournament award. In the 2025-26 edition of the Ranji Trophy, Nabi secured 60 wickets in ten matches, marking the third-highest wicket tally for an Indian pacer in that season. Across two Ranji Trophy seasons, Auqib has accumulated a total of 104 wickets. He has also registered 13 five-wicket hauls in 18 matches, with seven of these coming in the second edition, which equals the most by any pacer in a first-class season in India.
Nabi also has a century to his name in List A cricket, scoring 114* against Hyderabad in a Vijay Hazare Trophy game. He was previously part of the India A side that toured Sri Lanka, where he claimed six wickets in the two matches he participated in.
Saransh Jain, a 33-year-old spin all-rounder, bowls right-arm off-break and bats left-handed. He has a considerable first-class record, with 188 wickets and 2223 runs at averages of 27.30 and 31.75, respectively. In three of the last four Ranji Trophy seasons, Jain has consistently scored over 300 runs and taken 25 wickets each season. His most recent Ranji Trophy season was particularly strong, as he scored 518 runs at an average of 57.55 and picked up 30 wickets at 20.43. He has two first-class centuries and 14 half-centuries.
Jain was named Player of the Tournament in the Duleep Trophy, where he notched up two half-centuries and took 16 wickets in just two matches. He was also part of the India A squad that toured Sri Lanka, scoring 70* and taking six wickets in the second four-day match in Galle, which is one of the venues for the upcoming Test series.
Upcoming series details
India will be looking to leverage the recent experience of these additions in the island nation to gain momentum and improve their standing in the ICC World Test Championship. The series comprises two Test matches.
The first Test is scheduled to take place from August 15-19 in Galle. The second Test will be held from August 23-27 in Colombo.
| India's Tour of Sri Lanka, 2026 | ||||
| No. | Date (from | Date (to) | Match | Venue |
| 1 | 15-Aug-26 | 19-Aug-26 | 1st Test | GICS, Galle |
| 2 | 23-Aug-26 | 27-Aug-26 | 2nd Test | SSC, Colombo |
Source: icc-cricket.com
