Four varieties of spin in India's net bowlers line-up ahead of Sri Lanka Test tour
New Delhi, August 5
India has included Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Tanush Kotian and Vipraj Nigam among their net bowlers ahead of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle from August 15 onwards.
As per the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Indian batters, who have had their share of struggles against spin at home, have ramped up their preparation against the tweakers in spin-friendly Sri Lankan conditions by adding four spinners to their net bowlers line-up.
"Update: Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Tanush Kotian and Vipraj Nigam have joined the Indian squad as net bowlers to assist the team in the build-up to the first Test against Sri Lanka," said BCCI's statement.
Harsh, a slow left-arm orthodox spinner, had made his Indian debut during the ODI series against Afghanistan, taking four wickets in two matches. He had made his way into the Indian side after promising performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), taking eight wickets in eight matches at an average of 28.50 and a solid domestic season before that for Vidarbha.
24-year-old Shivang, a left-arm wrist spinner, had also been a regular for SRH in the IPL this year, taking nine wickets in 13 matches at an average of 41.66 and, like Harsh, is a very handy lower-order batter. Recently, he has shown solid performances in the MP T20 League, scoring 194 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 176.36 with a half-century and taking seven wickets.
Tanush, 27, a right-arm off-break bowler, is a proven performer for Mumbai in the domestic circuit, with 131 wickets in 44 first-class matches at an average of 27.48, with eight four-fers and three five-wicket hauls to his name. He has also made 2,168 runs in 65 innings with two centuries and 17 fifties at an average of 42.50.
Lastly, Vipraj Nigam, a right-arm leg-break bowler, has been a part of the Delhi Capitals (DC) camp in the IPL for past two seasons, with 13 wickets in 19 matches and is also a handy batsman down the order.
In the tri-nation series against Sri Lanka in the 50-over format after the IPL, Vipraj delivered promising performances with seven wickets in five innings, with an economy rate of 5.38 and scored 116 runs in four matches, with a half-century to his name.
The two-match Test series will get underway with the opening game at the Galle International Cricket Stadium from August 15 to 19, before the teams move to Colombo for the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club from August 23 to 27.
India's ace seamer Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the series as he has not fully recovered from the left knee injury he sustained during the ODI series against England.
The Men's Selection Committee has included Aquib Nabi in the squad as Bumrah's replacement.
India are also grappling with multiple injury concerns ahead of the series, with Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy sidelined due to hamstring and quadriceps injuries, respectively.
Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the opening Test with a hamstring issue, while Akash Deep remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from stress reactions in his back.
The series will form part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. Led by Shubman Gill, India are currently fifth in the World Test Championship standings, having registered four wins and four losses in nine matches, with a Points Percentage (PCT) of 48.150.
India's squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka is: Shubman Gill (Captain), KL Rahul (Vice-Captain), 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 and Auqib Nabi.
*Subject to fitness clearance.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good to see young spinners getting this exposure. But honestly, I'm more worried about the injuries! Bumrah, Harshit, Nitish, Washington - all sidelined? That's a massive blow. Test cricket without Bumrah in Sri Lanka is going to test our bowling depth. Hope Aquib Nabi seizes this opportunity. 🏏
Interesting selection strategy bringing in four net bowlers specifically for spin prep. Vipraj Nigam's numbers in the tri-series were solid - 7 wickets at 5.38 economy plus handy runs. India clearly isn't taking Sri Lanka lightly, which is smart given how tough Galle can be for visitors.
Finally the BCCI is thinking beyond just match practice! Having four different spin styles - left-arm orthodox, left-arm wrist spin, off-spin, and leg-spin - covers all bases. This kind of targeted preparation shows we're serious about the WTC. But I do wish they'd also focus on our batting against spin, seems like that's been our achilles heel lately. 🤔
One concern though - if these net bowlers are this good, why aren't they in the main squad? Harsh Dubey had a decent IPL and Shivang Kumar has been performing consistently. The bench strength in Indian cricket is unreal. Also, losing Washington Sundar is a huge blow - his batting at 8 gives us so much depth. Hope we manage the workload better this time.
This is exactly the kind of preparation that separates top teams from the rest. Sri Lanka has been formidable at
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