Auqib Nabi earns maiden India call-up as replacement for injured Jasprit Bumrah

Right-arm pacer Auqib Nabi has been added to India’s squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, replacing injured fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah.

The series begins in Galle on August 15, followed by a second Test in Colombo on August 23. It marks India’s first assignment in the World Cup Test Championship cycle since a 2-0 home defeat to South Africa in 2025.

Auqib, a tall right-arm quick from Jammu and Kashmir, earns his first national call-up after strong performances in domestic cricket. He topped the wicket-taking charts in India’s premier first-class competition, the Ranji Trophy, across the past two seasons. He played a central role in Jammu and Kashmir’s historic Ranji Trophy title win, taking 60 wickets in 17 innings during that campaign, an effort that earned him the player of the tournament award.

He also featured for India A against Sri Lanka A during a recently concluded tour, picking up six wickets across two four-day matches. Should he make his Test debut in the upcoming series, Auqib would become the first cricketer from Jammu to represent India in the format.

Across his first-class career, Auqib has taken 162 wickets in 43 matches at an average of 18.63, including four ten-wicket hauls in a match and 16 five-wicket innings hauls.

Bumrah, meanwhile, has been ruled out after failing to recover in time from a left knee injury sustained during the ODI series against England. He had originally been named in India’s squad for the Sri Lanka tour before the setback. His workload has been closely monitored since he suffered a back injury during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, and the recent ODI series against England marked his first appearance in the format since the 2023 World Cup final.

India’s updated squad for the Sri Lanka Tests reads: Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), B Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Auqib Nabi, Devdutt Padikkal and Saransh Jain.