India’s hopes of keeping its faint World Test Championship final aspirations alive have suffered a major setback, with Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of the two-Test series against Sri Lanka after failing to fully recover from a left knee injury.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Monday that the premier fast bowler did not receive the required fitness clearance from the Centre of Excellence following the injury he sustained during the ODI series against England. Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi has been named as Bumrah’s replacement, earning his maiden senior India call-up.

When the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee announced the squad last week, both Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan were included subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. While Bumrah has not met the required benchmark, Sudharsan has made significant progress in his rehabilitation and is expected to be available before the squad departs for Sri Lanka on August 4.

Bumrah’s absence is a significant blow to Shubman Gill’s side ahead of a series it cannot afford to lose if it is to keep its slim World Test Championship final hopes alive.

The 32-year-old has been India’s pace spearhead across formats, and his experience will be particularly valuable in conditions where disciplined seam bowling is expected to complement the spin attack.

For Nabi, the call-up caps a remarkable rise through the domestic ranks. The right-arm seamer has claimed 104 wickets across the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, including 60 in the 2025-26 campaign, playing a pivotal role in Jammu and Kashmir’s maiden Ranji Trophy triumph.

Nabi also impressed on the recent India A tour of Sri Lanka, picking up six wickets in two first-class matches.

Those performances further strengthened his credentials before the selectors turned to the 26-year-old following Bumrah’s withdrawal.

India squad (updated)

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.