India have received a major boost ahead of the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka after premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has reportedly been declared fit following his recovery from the impact injury he sustained during the ODI series against England. The pacer has been cleared to return after successfully completing all mandatory fitness tests at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru.

Bumrah had missed the third ODI at Lord's because of the injury and was included in the Test squad subject to fitness clearance. Following a series of assessments at the COE, he has now been given the green light to feature in both Tests.

A senior BCCI official told Kushan Sarkar that Bumrah completed every mandatory fitness assessment and is expected to be available throughout the series. His return comes as a timely boost for India, who have been hit by multiple injury concerns ahead of the Sri Lanka tour.

High stakes as India and Sri Lanka battle for WTC points

India currently sit fifth in the World Test Championship standings and need a strong run of results to stay in contention for a place in the 2027 final. The team is targeting seven wins from its remaining nine Tests, making the Sri Lanka series very important before a demanding tour of New Zealand later this year. The series is crucial for both teams as they look to climb the WTC standings. India has a points percentage (PCT) of 48.15 after nine matches. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, is in sixth spot with a PCT of 44.44.

The visitors will still be without several players due to injuries. Harshit Rana has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, Nitish Kumar Reddy is recovering from a quadriceps issue, while Washington Sundar will miss the opening Test with a hamstring problem. Off-spin all-rounder Saransh Jain has been drafted into the squad, and Akash Deep remains sidelined with a back injury.

Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja return after being rested for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in June, while Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna are expected to share the pace duties alongside Bumrah during the Sri Lanka series.

India are expected to play a four days warm up game at Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo from August 7 to 10 as part of the preparations. India struggled in their previous test series, where they lost to South Africa 0-2 at home. Hence, they are in desperate need of points from this series to improve their position in the WTC table. Sri Lanka lost their last test series against West Indies and slipped to the sixth spot on the table.