Jasprit Bumrah Ruled Out of Test Series Against Sri Lanka Due to Knee Injury

Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of India's two-Test series in Sri Lanka, starting August 15 in Galle, after failing to get full fitness clearance for the tour. The development was reported by the Times of India on Sunday, with the BCCI expected to make it official and confirm a replacement soon.

Bumrah has not bowled since India's second ODI against England in Cardiff on July 16. He was ruled out of the series-deciding third ODI at Lord's with what the BCCI called an impact injury sustained while fielding in that Cardiff game. He later received a knee injection as part of a long-term fitness plan drawn up by the BCCI medical team.

He travelled to the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru this week for fitness assessments but has not bowled a single ball there. The medical team has decided it isn't safe for him to rush back into red-ball action, wary that bowling too soon could aggravate the injury. Earlier reports had suggested he'd cleared his fitness test for the tour, but he hadn't even started bowling at that point.

Bumrah was named in Shubman Gill's Test squad for Sri Lanka subject to fitness clearance. With that clearance now denied, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is expected to name a replacement, with Jammu & Kashmir seam-bowling all-rounder Auqib Nabi seen as the frontrunner. Nabi was the leading wicket-taker in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy with 60 wickets in 10 matches, playing a key role in J&K's maiden title, and also impressed on the recent India A tour of Sri Lanka.

India are already managing a stretched pace attack for this tour. Washington Sundar is out with a hamstring injury, Akash Deep is still recovering from a back stress reaction, and Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy remain sidelined with hamstring and quad injuries. The Test squad is due to reach Sri Lanka on August 4, with the second Test following at the SSC in Colombo from August 23.