Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of Sri Lanka Test series

NEW DELHI: India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will miss the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka national cricket team after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) medical team advised him to continue his rehabilitation from a persistent left knee issue.

The 31-year-old will not travel with the squad for the August series, with the BCCI opting against rushing his return to competitive cricket. No replacement has been announced.

Bumrah has not bowled since the second ODI against England in Cardiff on July 16. He was subsequently ruled out of the series finale at Lord's after sustaining an impact injury while fielding during the Cardiff match.

Following the conclusion of the England tour, Bumrah received a knee injection as part of a long-term rehabilitation programme designed by the BCCI medical staff.

The pacer recently reported to the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where he underwent fitness assessments. Medical experts reportedly concluded that an immediate return to bowling could aggravate the injury and potentially sideline him for an even longer period.

Although the exact nature and severity of the injury have not been officially disclosed, Bumrah had also visited the Centre of Excellence in late March before being cleared to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

He went on to play 13 matches for the Mumbai Indians before missing the franchise's final fixture of the season.

India's injury list has continued to grow ahead of the Sri Lanka tour.

Fast bowler Harshit Rana has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, while all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is sidelined with a quadriceps problem.

All-rounder Washington Sundar will also miss the opening Test because of a hamstring injury, while pacer Akash Deep remains unavailable as he recovers from stress reactions in his back.

After India's ODI series defeat to England, captain Shubman Gill expressed concern over the team's recurring fitness problems, warning that the growing number of injuries could affect India's preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Gill said frequent injuries made team selection increasingly difficult, particularly when players were not fully fit on match days, adding that improving the squad's overall fitness had become a priority.

India will begin the two-Test series against Sri Lanka with the opening match in Galle on August 15, followed by the second Test at the SSC in Colombo from August 23.

Before the series, India will play a three-day warm-up match in Colombo starting on August 7.

The Sri Lanka tour marks India's first World Test Championship assignment since their 2-0 home series defeat to South Africa. India previously drew a five-Test series 2-2 in England and secured a 2-0 home series victory over the West Indies.

India currently occupy fifth place in the World Test Championship standings, with Sri Lanka sitting sixth.

India squad for Sri Lanka Tests

Shubman Gill (c), KL Rahul (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), B Sai Sudharsan (subject to fitness), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal and Saransh Jain.