Squad changes for Sri Lanka Test series
Auqib Nabi, a pacer from Jammu and Kashmir, has been named as a replacement for Jasprit Bumrah in India‘s Test squad for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. Bumrah was ruled out of the series due to an injury. The squad also includes another uncapped player, all-rounder Saransh Jain.
The Men’s Selection Committee announced the squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Before the series begins, the team is scheduled to play a four-day practice match in Colombo, starting on 7 August.
The initial squad announcement on July 28, 2026, listed Jasprit Bumrah as part of the team, with his availability subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI COE. However, the subsequent update confirmed Nabi’s inclusion in his place.
New faces in the squad
Auqib Nabi, a 29-year-old pacer, played a key role in his state’s first Ranji Trophy victory. He was named the player of the tournament in the 2025-26 edition, where he secured 60 wickets in ten matches. This performance marks the third-highest wicket tally for an Indian pacer in the tournament’s history.
Across two Ranji Trophy seasons, Nabi has taken a total of 104 wickets. He has achieved 13 five-wicket hauls in 18 matches, with seven of these coming in the second edition, matching the highest number by any pacer in a first-class season in India. Nabi also has a century in List A cricket, scoring 114* against Hyderabad in a Vijay Hazare Trophy game. He was part of the India A side that toured Sri Lanka previously, where he claimed six wickets in two matches.
Saransh Jain, a 33-year-old spin all-rounder, bowls right-arm off-break and bats left-handed. He has a notable 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 scored over 300 runs and taken 25 wickets each season. His most recent season was particularly strong, with 518 runs at an average of 57.55 and 30 wickets at 20.43. He has two first-class centuries and 14 half-centuries to his name.
Jain was also named Player of the Tournament in the Duleep Trophy, where he scored two half-centuries and took 16 wickets in two matches. He was part of the India A squad that toured Sri Lanka, where he scored 70* and picked up six wickets in the second four-day match in Galle, one of the venues for the upcoming Test series.
India’s Test squad for Sri Lanka
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
- Auqib Nabi
- Mohd. Siraj
- Prasidh Krishna
- Gurnoor Brar
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Saransh Jain
Washington Sundar was not available for selection for the first Test. India will be looking to leverage these additions and their recent experience in Sri Lanka to improve their standing in the ICC World Test Championship.
The first Test is scheduled from August 15-19 in Galle, followed by the second Test from August 23-27 in Colombo.
Source: icc-cricket.com
