India have suffered a major setback ahead of the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, with premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah ruled out after failing to recover fully from a knee injury.
Bumrah, 32, is still experiencing discomfort after reporting to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where he has been undergoing rehabilitation. The swelling in his knee has proved more serious than initially expected, prompting the Sports Science team to avoid rushing him back into international cricket.
The first Test begins in Galle on August 15, with the second scheduled from August 23 in Colombo.
Although Bumrah was initially expected to regain fitness before the tour, the medical team has decided against risking him in the physically demanding Test format, especially with a packed international calendar ahead.
The star pacer had missed the third ODI against England at Lord’s after sustaining an impact injury and has not recovered sufficiently to return.
The selectors are now expected to consider Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi or Vidarbha seamer Yash Thakur as Bumrah’s replacement in the squad.
India are already dealing with multiple injury concerns, with Nitish Kumar Reddy (hamstring), Harshit Rana (hamstring) and Washington Sundar (hamstring) unavailable, while Sundar is set to miss at least the opening Test.
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