India and Sri Lanka took on each other in the first Test of the ongoing two-game series. The two sides met at the Galle International Stadium for the clash on August 15th, and the clash saw India come in to bat first after winning the toss. With the side taking centre stage, many fans wondered why ace Jasprit Bumrah was missing from the playing XI for the clash.
There is no doubt that Bumrah is one of the most important players in the side across formats for the Indian team, and his absence could hurt the side as they took on Sri Lanka.
It is worth noting that Bumrah was initially included in India’s squad for the series, but his inclusion was subject to fitness. Just a few days before the start of the series, the BCCI came forward and revealed that Bumrah has been ruled out of the series as he was unable to recover from his injuries in time.
In his place, the BCCI named Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi in the squad, and it was all thanks to his marvellous performances in domestic cricket that Nabi managed to make his way into the Indian team.
“Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka as he has not yet fully recovered from the left knee injury sustained during the ODI series against England. The Men's Selection Committee has named Auqib Nabi as Bumrah's replacement,” the BCCI posted.
What did Shubman Gill say at the toss?
Having won the toss, India skipper Shubman Gill came forward and talked about his decision to bat first and opened up on the squad composition for India in the first Test as well.
“We're gonna bat first, looks like a good wicket and the weather also looks good, so hopefully it's gonna be a good day of cricket for us. We've gone with the same playing XI that we played the last match. We've got five bowlers, two fast bowlers and three spinners. Very big honor for me, every time you get an opportunity to lead your country, and even more so special on this occasion. Independence Day for us and 600th Test match, so looking forward,” Gill said at the toss.
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
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