Who is Auqib Nabi?
Auqib Nabi is a 29-year-old right-arm seamer from a village in Kashmir’s Baramulla district, called up to India’s Test squad for the first time as a replacement for the injured Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the two-match series in Sri Lanka. He becomes only the third cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to earn a senior India call-up, after Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik.
Why has he been picked?
Bumrah has been ruled out after failing to recover from the knee injury that flared up during the ODI series against England; the medical team at the BCCI’s Bengaluru Centre of Excellence judged it too risky to rush him back given the calendar ahead. Nabi’s case for a replacement spot was built on volume as much as form: over 100 wickets across the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, including a tournament-topping 60 in 2025-26 as Jammu and Kashmir won its first-ever Ranji title. His First-Class numbers overall — 162 wickets in 43 matches at an average of 18.63 — are equally impressive.
Recent form
Nabi was part of the India A squad that toured Sri Lanka, picking up six wickets across two four-day matches — useful conditioning ahead of a Test tour on similar pitches. He also has IPL experience, having played for Delhi Capitals in the 2026 season.
The squad and the schedule
India’s Test squad for the series: Shubman Gill (c), KL Rahul (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi. The first Test starts August 15 at the Galle International Stadium, with the second beginning August 23 at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. India’s pace attack in Bumrah’s absence is expected to be led by Siraj, with Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar and Nabi in support.
What’s at stake for Nabi
If he plays, Nabi would become the first Test cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir. The series doubles as an opportunity: with Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana and Washington Sundar also unavailable for at least the first Test, India’s bowling resources are stretched thin enough that a strong showing could put Nabi in the frame beyond just this tour.
Published on Aug 03, 2026
