Mumbai, Aug 3:
Jammu and Kashmir seamer Auqib Nabi on Monday replaced injured Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming two-match Test tour of Sri Lanka, becoming the first player from the Kashmir valley to get selected in India’s Test squad.
Bumrah, originally named in the squad, has been ruled out of the tour 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 in a statement.
The 29-year-old Nabi, who hails from a remote village in Kashmir’s Baramulla, is the third player from J&K after Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik to get a senior national team call-up. Rasool and Malik played for India in limited overs format.
Nabi had claimed 104 wickets across the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, including 60 wickets in the 2025-26 campaign, playing a pivotal role in Jammu and Kashmir’s maiden Ranji Trophy triumph. He is also a handy customer with the bat.
He was also part of the India A squad that toured Sri Lanka recently, where he claimed six wickets in two first-class matches.
Pace spearhead Bumrah has been ruled out after the swelling in his knee turned out to be more serious than it initially looked. The Sports Science team in Bengaluru’s Centre of Excellence was in no mood to rush the seasoned pacer to the grind of international cricket, keeping in mind a packed calendar ahead.
The 32-year-old had missed out on the third ODI against England at the Lord’s last month after sustaining an impact injury.
B Sai Sudharsa’s participation in the series is subject to fitness clearance as he is still steadily recovering from a foot injury that he sustained during the recent India A series in the Island nation.
The two-match Test series in Sri Lanka begins on August 15 in Galle.