Auqib Nabi did not bowl in India’s three-day warm-up against Sri Lanka Cricket XI in Colombo

Auqib Nabi did not bowl a single over in the three-day warm-up match between Sri Lanka Cricket XI and India at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo that began on August 7, the fixture serving as practice ahead of India’s first Test.

Nabi had been added to India’s Test group after Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the Sri Lanka series due to a knee injury, having earlier featured for India A in multi-day matches in Sri Lanka and earned selection following a strong domestic season.

On Day 1 of the warm-up match Sri Lanka Cricket XI batted first and posted 363 runs in 90 overs; India’s attack used seven bowlers — Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain — while Nabi, though part of the travelling party, did not bowl.

There has been no comment from team management explaining why Nabi was not used, and the available reports do not state any injury as the cause of his lack of overs in the innings.

Media accounts note that India rotated several bowlers during the practice match; beyond that, the precise reason for not utilising Nabi in the Sri Lanka innings remains unclear and should not be taken as confirmation of fitness issues without an official explanation.

Nabi, a 29-year-old pacer from Jammu & Kashmir, finished last Ranji Trophy season as the leading wicket-taker with around 60 wickets, and his selection for India’s Test squad followed that domestic form; he had also been part of the India A side for multi-day matches in Sri Lanka before joining the two-match Test party.

With the warm-up fixture being used to assess multiple bowling options, Nabi could still be handed an opportunity later in the practice match, but the team management has yet to provide a reason for his absence from the bowling roster.