India's premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka as he continues to recover from a knee injury.
Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi is expected to receive his maiden call-up to the Indian senior team as Bumrah's replacement.
If selected, Nabi will become only the third cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to earn a senior India call-up after Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik, both of whom featured in the white-ball setup.
"Bumrah is not fit and Auqib Nabi has been approved as his replacement," a BCCI source told PTI.
Nabi has taken more than 100 wickets across the last two Ranji Trophy seasons and played a key role in Jammu and Kashmir's impressive performances in red-ball cricket. He is also regarded as a useful lower-order batter.
According to reports, the swelling in Bumrah's knee has turned out to be more serious than initially expected. The Sports Science team at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru is unwilling to rush the experienced fast bowler back into international cricket, especially with a busy schedule ahead.
"The two people who run the COE, Dhananjay and Thulasi, have decided that Bumrah cannot be risked. Initially, both the team management and the selection committee were led to believe that he would be available for at least one of the two Tests," a BCCI source told PTI, adding that the situation has left several stakeholders surprised.
India's Test series against Sri Lanka is scheduled to begin on August 15 in Galle.
The 32-year-old had already missed the third ODI against England at Lord's last month after sustaining an impact injury.
Bumrah recently reported to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and was expected to regain match fitness before the Sri Lanka tour. However, it is understood that he is still experiencing discomfort.
Even if he recovers before the opening Test or the second Test in Colombo, which begins on August 23, the medical team reportedly believes that returning in the longest format may not be ideal given the heavy workload fast bowlers endure, even on relatively slow pitches.
It remains to be seen whether the selectors officially opt for Auqib Nabi or Vidarbha pacer Yash Thakur as Bumrah's replacement.
India are already dealing with multiple injury concerns. Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana and Washington Sundar are all sidelined with hamstring injuries and are expected to miss at least the opening Test.
Meanwhile, B Sai Sudharsan is making steady progress in his recovery from a foot injury sustained during the recent India A tour of Sri Lanka. He has resumed batting for around 75 minutes in the nets at the Centre of Excellence.
A decision on Sudharsan's availability for the Sri Lanka series is expected in the coming days.
