Archive · 5 Aug 2026
India Call Up Four Young Spinners for Sri Lanka Tests
Cricket is a sport where one team bats and tries to score runs while the other team bowls to get them out.
Spin bowlers are special bowlers who make the ball spin and bounce, which can be hard to bat against.
The Indian cricket team is going to Sri Lanka to play two matches called Test matches.
Sri Lanka's pitches are known to help spin bowlers a lot.
To get ready, the Indian team asked four young spin bowlers to come and practice with them.
Their job is to bowl lots of spin in practice so the Indian batters can learn to play it better.
The four bowlers are Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Tanush Kotian, and Vipraj Nigam.
The team already had four other spinners but wanted extra help in the nets.
The first match starts on August 15 in a place called Galle.
A new fast bowler named Auqib Nabi was also picked to replace Jasprit Bumrah.
India called up four young spinners—Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Tanush Kotian, and Vipraj Nigam—as net bowlers for the two-Test series in Sri Lanka.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the quartet joined the squad to assist preparations ahead of the first Test.
The first Test begins on August 15 at Galle, with the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo from August 23.
The move comes despite India's squad already containing four spinners: Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Saransh Jain.
Jammu & Kashmir speedster Auqib Nabi was named as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement for the series, earning his maiden call-up.
- Who
- The Indian cricket team led by Shubman Gill, which called up four young spinners—Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Tanush Kotian, and Vipraj Nigam—as net bowlers.
- What
- India added four young spinners as net bowlers to prepare for the two-Test series in Sri Lanka, and named Auqib Nabi as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement.
- When
- The call-up was announced on Wednesday; the first Test runs from August 15 to 19 and the second from August 23 to 27.
- Where
- Sri Lanka—the first Test at Galle International Cricket Stadium and the second at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.
- Why
- To help Indian batters prepare for spin-friendly conditions in Sri Lanka, especially after recent struggles against spin.
- Net bowlers called up
- Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Tanush Kotian, Vipraj Nigam
- Series
- Two-Test series between India and Sri Lanka
- First Test
- Galle, August 15-19
- Second Test
- Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo, August 23-27
- Spinners in main squad
- Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar, Kuldeep Yadav, Saransh Jain
- Bumrah replacement
- Auqib Nabi (maiden call-up, Jammu & Kashmir)
- Warm-up match
- Three-day practice match starting August 7 in Colombo
- Captain
- Shubman Gill
