Jammu & Kashmir’s 29-year-old seamer Auqib Nabi has earned his maiden India call-up after being named as Jasprit Bumrah’s replacement in the squad for the upcoming two-match away Test series against Sri Lanka. Shubman Gill’s side will play a three-day warm-up game from August 7 to 9 before the first Test begins on August 15 in Galle, while the second Test will commence on August 23 in Colombo.
Bumrah, who was initially named in the squad, has been ruled out as the ace pacer has not yet fully recovered from the left knee injury he sustained during the ODI series against England last month, which India lost 2-1.
Meanwhile, Auqib has enjoyed great success over the last couple of Ranji Trophy seasons, claiming 104 wickets in 18 matches at an average of 13.14 and a strike rate of 29.30, including 13 five-wicket hauls. He played a pivotal role in helping Jammu & Kashmir win the 2025-26 season of the competition, taking 60 wickets in 17 innings.
India’s updated squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka includes Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Devdutt Padikkal, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Saransh Jain, and Auqib Nabi.
Auqib Nabi was part of India A squad for unofficial Tests against Sri Lanka A
In June-July 2026, India A faced Sri Lanka A in a two-match away unofficial Test series, with Auqib Nabi also part of the visiting squad. The visitors won the series 1-0, with the seamer picking up six wickets across four innings in the two games at an average of 25.33 and a strike rate of 47.66, with best figures of 4/58.
Looking at his first-class record, Nabi has taken 162 wickets in 71 innings across 43 matches at an average of 18.63 and a strike rate of 38.5, including 16 five-wicket hauls and best figures of 7/24. He has also scored 999 runs, including two fifties, with a top score of 55.
Edited by Dev Sharma