Cricket News / J&K's Auqib Nabi Earns Maiden India Call-Up as Replacement for Injured Jasprit Bumrah for Sri Lanka Tests

New Delhi, Aug 3: Receiving his maiden India call-up, Jammu & Kashmir seam-bowling all-rounder Auqib Nabi has been named as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, beginning on August 15, after the pace spearhead was ruled out due to injury.

Bumrah has been ruled out due to left knee discomfort and was initially named in the main squad subject to him achieving fitness clearance.

"Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka as he has not yet fully recovered from the left knee injury sustained during the ODI series against England. The Men's Selection Committee has named Auqib Nabi as Bumrah's replacement. The Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler earns his maiden call-up to the senior national team," the BCCI said on Monday.

Nabi's selection comes on the back of an outstanding domestic campaign, where he emerged as a relentless force to reckon with. The 29-year-old right-arm seamer claimed 60 wickets in the Ranji Trophy last season and played a pivotal role in guiding Jammu &Kashmir to its maiden title victory. Over the last two Ranji campaigns, Nabi has amassed a staggering tally of 104 wickets.

His consistent domestic exploits had previously earned him a maiden IPL contract with Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026, though he didn’t get a scalp in five games. He was also a member of the India A team for the tour of Sri Lanka, where he returned with six wickets in two four-day matches, as the visitors won 1-0.

While Nabi was previously drafted into the national setup as a back-up net bowler during the one-off Test against Afghanistan, the selectors have now rewarded his perseverance with a full national squad inclusion.

The call-up marks a watershed moment for Jammu and Kashmir cricket, with Nabi joining the list of players from the region to receive a senior India call-up after all-rounder Parvez Rasool and express pacer Umran Malik.

While Rasool and Malik were selected in India’s white-ball squads, Nabi became the first J&K cricketer to get a call-up to the men's Test team.

According to a source, Nabi has been at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru for practice and conditioning work ahead of the Duleep Trophy, after spending the last few days in Srinagar. But he will now head to Mumbai to link up with the Indian Test team ahead of their departure to Colombo on Tuesday.

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Nabi will join the Indian pace attack featuring Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Gurnoor Brar. After featuring in a three-day practice match at the NCC in Colombo from August 7-9, the Indian team will travel to Galle, where the first Test will be played at the Galle International Stadium starting on August 15. It is followed by the second Test to be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club from August 23-27.

India's updated squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka is as follows: Shubman Gill (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Sai Sudharsan (subject to fitness clearance), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, and Auqib Nabi.

(IANS)