In this year’s IPL, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had left jaws on the floor when he nonchalantly deposited Jasprit Bumrah over mid-on for a six off the first ball he faced from the ace pacer.

On Friday, under lights at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, another glimpse of the box-office duel between the precocious teen and seasoned operator was on view. This came in a mere practice session for the Indian team ahead of the first T20I against Afghanistan on Sunday, but the intensity of the battle was enchanting nevertheless. Sooryavanshi and Bumrah haven’t yet featured for India together.

Sooryavanshi had to be fairly measured on Friday evening, for Bumrah hit his straps and tested the young left-hander with the lengths that he found. The 32-year-old beat Sooryavanshi all ends up on one occasion with a peach on a good length, and also nailed his yorkers most of the time. Sooryavanshi wasn’t fazed, however, as he unfurled a delightful punch off the back foot later.

For Bumrah, it was largely about finding his groove after an injury layoff. He had hurt his left knee during the ODI series against England in July, and had failed to recover in time for the recent Test series versus Sri Lanka. He bowled in the nets for nearly 45 minutes.

The training stint was attended by the entire 15-member squad. After a light drizzle, India was in buoyant mood as it started with elaborate fielding drills. With fielding coach Subhadeep Ghosh, who took over from T. Dilip in August, encouraging the players with the enthusiasm of a recent hire, flat and high catches as well as ground fielding were practised rigorously.

If greater emphasis on the fielding seemed noticeable, it may be to address India’s sloppiness on the tour of the United Kingdom in June-July. A number of catches were spilled as Shreyas Iyer & Co. suffered series defeats to both Ireland and England.

When Mohammed Shami walks onto the MAC Stadium turf on Sunday for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone, it will be a momentous occasion for the 36-year-old, who will be featuring in his 100th First Class match.

As he aims to return to the national team, Shami has been putting in the hard yards in domestic cricket. Last year, the pacer took 37 wickets in the Ranji Trophy from seven matches as Bengal narrowly missed out on making the summit clash.

This season, in two Duleep outings so far, the veteran speedster has bowled with pace and verve, prompting East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan to praise him lavishly.

“He has been picking up wickets, giving all his energy. He is coming in and asking me for those extra overs to get the wickets.

“It is hard when you are not regularly playing for the Indian team and to have that kind of motivation for domestic games. But I see that hunger in him.

“You can see when he is trying to help me — he comes and gives options about what can be done,” Kishan added.

At a time when Jasprit Bumrah is battling injuries and Mohammed Siraj is not looking at his sharpest, another good run in domestic cricket could get Shami back in the reckoning.

India’s next Test tour is to New Zealand, where conditions will be seamer-friendly. Shami can also be a great asset in the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, a tournament where he boasts of a stellar record — 55 wickets at a world-leading average of 13.52.

In the last Duleep game against Central Zone in Bengaluru, the way Shami set up Yash Rathod — testing the batter outside the off-stump, softening him up with a few bouncers before nipping one away to get him caught behind — showed a bowler still at the top of his game.

During that fixture, National selector Pragyan Ojha had a long discussion with the pacer from Amroha. Opening of a fresh chapter in Shami’s international career? Time will tell.

As Sri Lanka looks to end its decade-long win drought against India in Tests, former Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews said the team has to play a positive brand of cricket to tame the visitors.

“You’ve got all the videos, and there are no secrets in international cricket nowadays. So, it’s about the positive body language and the mindset they need to take into the field. They are coming up against a huge Indian line-up, and it’s never easy to play against them in any condition. It’s a matter of having the right attitude and taking the game on,” Mathews said during an online interaction on Friday, on the eve of the first Test starting in Galle.

In the build-up to the match, there has been a lot of focus on the spin strengths of both sides and how many could feature in the XI. However, the 39-year-old felt that fast bowlers could still play a huge part in the series.

“Spin plays a major role, especially in these conditions. So Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis will be vital. But I wouldn’t rule out the pacers. Guys like Asitha Fernando and Vishwa Fernando will have a bigger role to play, especially with the new ball, and also trying to keep it tight at one end so the spinners can go at the Indian batters. It has to be a collective effort,” he added.

The former Lanka all-rounder reckoned that India might miss Jasprit Bumrah, especially in Galle, where quicks can get reverse swing.

“Bumrah has got the skill to bowl in any condition. And he would have been lethal, especially in Galle with the reverse swing. So, Sri Lanka is quite lucky not to have come up against Bumrah. But Siraj, Jadeja, and Kuldeep have got the skill. So, Sri Lankan batters can’t be complacent. You have got to respect the game and take it in a positive attitude,” said Mathews.

(Watch the Sri Lanka-India Test series live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD and Sony LIV from 10 a.m. on August 15).

With Indian cricket in the throes of an injury crisis, the latest being Jasprit Bumrah and B. Sai Sudharsan’s absence from the upcoming tour to Sri Lanka, V.V.S. Laxman, head of BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE), defended the institution’s injury-management methods and recovery protocols.

“We don’t like to use the word blame, because when you do, you’re [trying to] find a scapegoat,” Laxman told reporters at the CoE premises on Sunday. “There’s brilliant coordination between the CoE, the team management and the SSM (Sports Science & Medicine) staff.”

There has been a worrying trend of players being declared fit only to pick up a new injury within a short period of time. Laxman stressed that this was not a cause for concern even as he clarified that the “CoE was not a rehab centre” and that it had a “bigger mandate”.

“When someone is playing at the elite level, you’re supposed to give more than 100%,” Laxman said. “Injuries are bound to happen. If you’re thinking about not getting injured, you’re not playing to the best of your ability. Monitoring is very, very critical, and I’ve got no doubt that Adrian Le Roux (S&C coach, Indian team) and others are doing that,” the 51-year-old added.

Both Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan were named conditionally in the squad for the two Tests against Sri Lanka before failing to obtain fitness clearances. Asked if it would be prudent to avoid players who are still undergoing rehabilitation, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia replied in the negative.

“We have our selection meetings at least three to four weeks before the team departs,” Saikia said. “We don’t reject because by the time the player will have to travel or play, he may be totally fit. It’s a human body, not a machine. It may take 14 days or 28 days.”

The CoE has been without a Head of Sports Science since Nitin Patel’s exit in March 2025. Saikia attributed this to an “acute shortage of right candidates” and Laxman stated that there will be no unseemly haste in the appointment process, for quality was paramount.

Andrew Leipus, who had had successful tenures with the Indian National team and the erstwhile National Cricket Academy, was the BCCI’s first choice to replace Nitin, but he pulled out.

“Andrew had almost agreed but then backed out,” Laxman said. “The next interview process was extensive, and the first candidate was from Australia, but he did not join. The second and third candidates are already working at the CoE. It is our responsibility to upskill them while we identify someone of that stature, experience and knowledge.”

India’s hopes of keeping its faint World Test Championship final aspirations alive have suffered a setback, with Jasprit Bumrah being ruled out of the two-Test series against Sri Lanka because of an incomplete recovery from a left knee injury.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed on Monday (August 3, 2026) that the premier fast bowler has failed to obtain the required fitness clearance after sustaining the injury during the ODI series against England. Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi has been drafted into the squad as Bumrah’s replacement, earning his maiden senior India call-up.

When the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee announced the squad last week, both Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan had been included subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. While Bumrah has fallen short of the benchmark, Sudharsan is understood to have made significant progress in his rehabilitation and is expected to be cleared before the team departs for Sri Lanka on August 4.

Bumrah’s absence is a significant blow to Shubman Gill’s side ahead of a series India cannot afford to lose if it is to preserve its remote chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship final. The 32-year-old has been India’s spearhead across formats, and his experience will be particularly missed in conditions where India is expected to rely on disciplined fast bowling alongside their spin attack.

For Nabi, meanwhile, the call-up marks the culmination of a remarkable rise in domestic cricket. Having collected 104 wickets across the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, including 60 in the 2025-26 campaign, playing a central role in Jammu and Kashmir’s maiden Ranji Trophy triumph.

The right-arm seamer also impressed on the recent India A tour of Sri Lanka, claiming six wickets in two first-class matches, performances that strengthened his credentials before the selectors turned to him following Bumrah’s withdrawal.

The squad: Shubman Gill (captain), K.L. Rahul (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Sai Sudharsan (subject to fitness clearance), Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain and Auqib Nabi.

Premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah is set to miss India’s two-Test tour of Sri Lanka as he is yet to recover from his knee injury.

Jammu and Kashmir seamer Auqib Nabi is all set to earn his maiden call-up to the national team.

Nabi will be the third player after Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik to get a senior national call-up. Rasool and Malik were summoned in white ball set-up.

“Bumrah is not fit and Auqib Nabi has been approved as his replacement,” a BCCI source informed PTI.

Nabi has picked 100-plus wickets in the last two Ranji Trophy seasons and was the chief architect of J&K’s red-ball triumph. He is also a handy customer with the bat.

The swelling in Bumrah’s knee seems to be more serious than it initially looked and the Sports Science team at Bengaluru’s Centre of Excellence doesn’t want to rush the seasoned pacer to the grind of international cricket, keeping in mind a packed calendar ahead.

“The two people who run the COE, Dhananjay and Thulasi have decided that Bumrah can’t be risked. It must be said that initially both team management and selection committee were made to believe that Bumrah could be available for at least one of the two Tests,” a BCCI source informed, citing how COE’s functioning have left everyone baffled.

The Sri Lanka series begins on August 15 in Galle.

The 32-year-old had missed out on the third ODI against England at the Lord’s last month after sustaining an impact injury.

He recently reported at the Centre Of Excellence in Bengaluru and was expected to be match-fit by the time Sri Lanka series begins.

However, it has been learnt that Bumrah is still feeling some discomfort.

Even if he gets fit before August 15 or the second Test starting at Colombo on August 23, the medical team isn’t sure if a Test match is the correct format to bring him back due to the massive workload on the docile tracks.

It will be interesting to see if selectors pick Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi or Vidarbha’s Yash Thakur as Bumrah’s replacement.

India are already without Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, and Washington Sundar — all sidelined by hamstring niggles — will miss at least the first Test.

In case of B. Sai Sudharsan, he is batting 75 minutes in nets at COE as he is steadily recovering from a foot injury that he sustained during the recent India A series in the Island nation.

It will be known in the next few days whether he will be available or not for the series against Lanka.

Australia pace great Glenn McGrath felt that India’s white-ball fast-bowling attack was in the midst of a natural transition, backing Prasidh Krishna to emerge as a key figure at a time when Jasprit Bumrah is managing his workload and Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj are absent.

“It’s always going to be tough to just pick up from where you left off. You’ve got Bumrah, who’s a class bowler. Shami is world class as well. Siraj has been around for a long time and is very experienced. They bowl incredibly well, so you can’t just expect to pick up straight from where you left off,” McGrath said at the MRF Pace Foundation here on Monday.

The 56-year-old, however, believed that India’s next-gen pacers were making encouraging progress. “I think they’ve been doing okay. I’m a big fan of Prasidh as well. It’s always a big ask to fill the shoes of Shami and Bumrah, so it’s always going to be a transitional period.”

McGrath reserved special praise for Prasidh, saying that the seamer had matured a lot since he first saw him. “From seeing him when he was here (MRF Pace Foundation) to watching him play IPL cricket, he just seemed to mature — his pace and just the way he was bowling, the way he held himself.

“He’s tall, bowls good areas, gets that bounce and pace. It’s the whole package, really. He was very much an enforcer when he bowled — just the way he went through the crease, the pace he was bowling at, the bounce, and the areas. Occasionally, he was a little bit short, but apart from that, he impressed me. He’s really developed and put his potential into action,” the former fast bowler said.

Asked why Prasidh tends to bowl too short at times, McGrath said that it could stem from his role as an enforcer. “I think his job is to be the enforcer and to really unsettle batters. It worked for him a bit in the IPL. Maybe, he just went with it”.

The hardest thing to do in modern-day cricket is to shift gears when you are already cruising. Fresh off a 4-0 dismantling of reigning World T20 champion India in the shortest format, England will face a different kind of test from Tuesday.

Awaiting the host in the ODI series is a significantly stronger Indian side, bolstered by the return of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. For England, the presence of India’s talismanic trio demands a change in the gameplan.

In a virtual interaction on Monday, opener Ben Duckett acknowledged the scale of the “challenge” but insisted that England was confident of carrying its momentum into the 50-over assignment. “Obviously, it’s a different format, so there will be slight changes. Rohit, Virat and Jasprit are three of the greatest players to play this format. Any side with them is always extremely tough to beat,” said Duckett.

“Shubman Gill is back as well, so there’s a lot of class in that side. They’re (Rohit, Kohli and Gill) players we’ve faced before, and I’m sure our bowlers will have plans for them. Jasprit is probably the best all-format bowler in the world, so any Indian side with him is always a huge challenge,” added the 31-year-old.

The left-hander, however, remained optimistic about the home side clinching the series. “We’re confident coming into this week. We’ve got a lot of guys playing well, too, so it should be a good series. We certainly fancy our chances,” he said.

Duckett reserved special praise for England’s white-ball captain Harry Brook, crediting him for fostering an “aggressive and fearless” approach within the group.

“Brookie leads by example. He wants us to play attacking cricket, and that’s exactly how he plays. He’s always looking to take wickets with attacking fields. As a batter, there aren’t many better all-format players than him in the world right now. We’re very fortunate to have him leading us.”

(Watch the three-match ODI series between England and India Live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD & Sony Sports Ten 5 SD & HD from July 14).

Former England off-spinner Graeme Swann was suffering from the aftereffects of staying up all night for the FIFA World Cup quarterfinal matches.

Scheduled to address the media virtually on Sunday evening, Swann — currently on broadcast duty in India for the Men in Blue’s tour of England — would not have minded more rest before facing the scribes. But when he was put on the spot, firstly with the most obvious question on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s presence in the ODI series, he responded with clarity.

Swann opined that the 39-year-old Rohit and Kohli, 37, possess the tools to succeed despite not having age on their side. “When Rohit and Virat play together, they pose a double headache for the fielding team. When India bats first, Rohit is the best I have seen… batting on a fresh pitch, taking the game away from the opposition and posting a big total,” said the 47-year-old.

“I believe that Virat is the greatest chaser we have ever witnessed; some of his knocks are stupendous. Having both is a massive bonus for India.”

He remarked that the veterans, who are one-format players nowadays, should be allowed to bow out of international cricket on their own terms. “Because of the standards Rohit and Virat have set and careers they have had, it is up to them when they want to finish. I do not think that they have much to worry about because they are still brilliant players,” Swann added.

Fresh impetus

Swann felt that the batting might of ODI skipper Shubman Gill and return of ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, besides the quality of Rohit and Kohli, should provide India hope. “It is amazing to have players of that stature come straight back into the team. After the T20I series (where India was thrashed 0-4), you need fresh impetus.”

(Watch the three-match ODI series between England and India live on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD & Sony Sports Ten 5 SD & HD from July 14).

The selectors on Saturday (June 6, 2026) officially announced that Shreyas Iyer will be captain of the T20 international side.

Shreyas Iyer replaces Suryakumar Yadav, who has won the T20 World Cup, as the captain.

Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi makes history by being included in the squad for the two-match series in Ireland and England. His selection means that Sooryavanshi surpasses Sachin Tendulkar’s record as youngest player to represent India. 

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for England and Ireland tours to enable him to feature in the Asian Games 2026.

Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar said that Yashasvi Jaiswal has replaced injured Virat Kohli in the ODI squad against Afghanistan.