Indian team arrives in Sri Lanka; Sai Sudarshan absent due to injury, replacement discussed

The Indian cricket team has suffered a major blow ahead of the trip to Sri Lanka. Jasprit Bumrah, who is considered one of the world's best Test bowlers, has been excluded from the two-match series against Sri Lanka scheduled for August 15th. Although he was included in the squad announced on July 28th, a medical examination revealed that he is not fully fit.

Akib Nabi Dar, a fast bowler from Jammu and Kashmir, has been included in his place. Bumrah's absence represents a significant loss for India, as he was expected to be responsible for aggressive bowling attacks in the series matches against Sri Lanka. However, this is not the first instance where an injury has kept Bumrah away from the Indian national team.

Since his debut in international cricket in Sydney against Australia in January 2016, he has been unable to participate in many important ICC series and tournaments due to health issues.

In July 2022, during a three-match ODI series against England, Bumrah sustained a back injury. Due to this injury, he could not participate in the Asia Cup held in the United Arab Emirates from August 27 to September 11, 2022. His absence weakened India's attacking potential, leading to consecutive defeats against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super Four stage, and the team failed to reach the final.

After the Asia Cup in September 2022, Bumrah returned for the home T20 series against Australia, but his back injury flared up again. This forced him to miss the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, which was held in Australia. Mohammed Shami, an experienced fast bowler, was included in the Indian team in his place. This was a serious setback for India, as Bumrah was then the most reliable specialist for finishing overs in the team.

Recovery from the back injury sustained in September 2022 took Bumrah about eleven months. Because of this, he could not play in the home Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in 2023. Furthermore, he missed the IPL 2023 for Mumbai Indians. Despite his absence, Mumbai Indians qualified for the playoffs and finished the season in third place.

Due to his back injury, Bumrah also could not take the field in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at The Oval stadium in England from June 7 to 11, 2023. In this match, the Australian team, led by Pat Cummins, won by 209 runs, and the Indian team became the second consecutive runner-up of the WTC.

During the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024-25, Bumrah sustained another injury while bowling. Following this, he was selected in the starting lineup for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, but was dropped from the tournament on February 12th due to a lower back injury. Harshit Rana was included in the Indian team in his place.

In July 2026, Bumrah was once again unable to fully recover due to an injury sustained during the India-England ODI series. For this reason, he was once again left out of the squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka.