Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of first Sri Lanka vs India Test in Galle after knee discomfort

Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka at the Galle International Cricket Stadium on Aug. 15, 2026, the opening match of the two-Test series. India won the toss and opted to bat in the fixture, and the pacer was absent from the playing XI.

The game is India’s 600th appearance in Test cricket and is captained by Shubman Gill. It is the opening match of the two-Test series in Galle. The contest comes during the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle and carries relevance for India’s campaign.

India’s selected XI featured two frontline pacers and three spinners, a combination that attracted attention because Bumrah was missing. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna were named as the pace options, while Manav Suthar was picked to join Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja in the spin department. The absence of Bumrah from the XI was noted by observers ahead of the start of play.

Bumrah had been named in the squad with his participation listed as subject to fitness after he felt discomfort in his knee during the second ODI against England and was subsequently ruled out of the third ODI. Initial reports indicated the issue was not serious and that he would be fit for the Sri Lanka series. However, just ahead of the tour the management elected not to rush his return and ruled him out of the series.

Auqib Nabi was drafted into the India squad in Bumrah’s place, the move credited to his brilliant domestic performances. With Bumrah unavailable, India proceed in Galle without the pacer originally included in the squad.

India enter the match positioned fifth on the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 table. They need to win the majority of their remaining games if they want to fancy their chances of reaching the ICC WTC final.