3 reasons India can beat Sri Lanka despite Bumrah’s absence

Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series between India and Sri Lanka after failing to recover from a left knee injury, which was aggravated during the ODI series in England.

India named the uncapped Auqib Nabi as Bumrah’s injury replacement on the back of his sensational performances in the last two editions of the Ranji Trophy. However, Bumrah’s absence is a major blow for India, especially because they can’t afford any slip-ups against Sri Lanka, with World Test Championship (WTC) points at stake.

Will the void created by Bumrah’s injury absence be too big for India to fill during the Test matches in Galle and Colombo? Let’s take a look at three reasons as to why India can still beat the Lankan Lions in their backyard.

3 reasons India can beat Sri Lanka despite Bumrah’s absence

3. Spinner-friendly pitches reduce fast-bowling dependance

The conditions in Sri Lanka are not going to aid fast bowlers too much. Spinners are expected to bowl most of the overs. India have picked four spin-bowling options in their line-up – Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja – and don’t be surprised if all of them play together, at least in one of the games.

Unfortunately, India do not have a seam-bowling all-rounder in their setup in red-ball cricket. Had Nitish Kumar Reddy been fit, there would have been a possibility of him sharing the new ball with a specialist pacer, most likely, Mohammed Siraj.

2. Exciting pace attack

India might not have the services of Jasprit Bumrah available to them but there are a few exciting names to choose from who can be quite a handful against the Sri Lankan batters. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna are expected to be the first two pacers who will get a crack at Sri Lanka. However, there is the tall and talented Gurnoor Brar, who can unsettle batters with his pace and bounce. Then, there is Auqib Nabi, the highest wicket-taker in the last season of the Ranji Trophy.

Nabi was picked as the injury replacement of Bumrah. He became the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to be called up to the national team. He posseses the best batting skills among all the fast bowlers picked in the squad. Head coach Gautam Gambhir loves multi-skilled players and that could give the 29-year-old an edge.

1. Vulnerable Sri Lankan batting order

Sri Lanka will not have the services of the talismanic Angelo Mathews, who retired from red-ball cricket last year in June. There is plenty of talent in Sri Lanka’s batting line-up but they still seem very shaky. Their ability to build partnerships is going to be crucial and their patience is going to be tested against the disciplined Indian spinners.

Even if India’s pacers don’t pick up wickets with the new ball, Shubman Gill would know that there is enough quality in his spinners to get the better of the Sri Lankan batters. The hosts would have to be error-free against the Indian spinners, who are relentless in search for wickets.