India Rope In Four Domestic Spinners For Sri Lanka Tests; KL Rahul, Jaiswal Begin Spin Preparations

India’s preparations for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka are in full swing, with several domestic spinners joining the squad as net bowlers. Off-spinners Tanush Kotian and Harsh Dubey, along with leg-spinners Vipraj Nigam and Shivang Kumar, have travelled with the team to help the batters get used to spin-friendly conditions.

Kotian was seen bowling to KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal during a training session in Mumbai on August 3, just before the team left for Sri Lanka. The Indian openers spent considerable time facing spin as they prepared for what is expected to be a challenging series.

“I train regularly at Jatin Sir’s academy. It’s one of the few places where we can practise during the monsoon. The pitch turns quite a bit, and KL Rahul and Yashasvi have been training with us for the last few days,” Kotian told Cricbuzz.

Although Kotian is still waiting for his Test debut, he has been around the Indian setup before. He earned his first Test call-up during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy after Ravichandran Ashwin retired following the Gabba Test. However, he did not get a chance to play as the selectors later backed experienced spin-bowling all-rounder Saransh Jain instead.

Harsh Dubey has also been on the selectors’ radar. He was part of India’s squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan and made his ODI debut in the same series, finishing with four wickets, including three in his first match. During the India A tour of Sri Lanka, he impressed with both bat and ball, scoring 59 runs and taking three wickets in one of the matches.

Vipraj Nigam has also enjoyed a productive run with India A. In the recent tri-series involving Afghanistan A and Sri Lanka A, he picked up seven wickets in five matches and contributed 116 runs, including a fighting half-century against Sri Lanka A. The Delhi Capitals all-rounder is still waiting for his first senior India call-up.

Shivang Kumar, meanwhile, continues to gain valuable exposure with the national side. The left-arm wrist-spinner had earlier worked as a net bowler before the Afghanistan Test and caught attention with his performances for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026. He is yet to represent India A.

ALSO READ: Jasprit Bumrah Ruled Out Of Sri Lanka Test Series; BCCI Announces Aqib Nabi As Replacement

Sudharsan still awaiting fitness clearance

Sai Sudharsan has not yet received medical clearance and is yet to join the squad in Sri Lanka. His availability for the three-day practice match in Colombo, starting on August 7, remains uncertain. If he is unable to recover in time, Devdutt Padikkal is expected to take his place in the playing XI.

Auqib Nabi replaces Jasprit Bumrah

The BCCI had earlier announced Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi as Jasprit Bumrah’s replacement after the star fast bowler was ruled out with an injury. Nabi has earned his maiden India call-up and could share the new ball with Mohammed Siraj during the Test series.

India’s squad for Sri Lanka Test series

Shubman Gill (c), KL Rahul (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi.