Kolkata: Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi Dar who has been making headlines for last few years in Domestic circuit has earned maiden call up in Indian Test side for Sri Lanka tour after star Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out with a knee injury. Nabi will be first Cricketer from Jammu & Kashmir to play a Test for India and second after Parvez Rasool to represent senior men’s Indian team at international level.
However, the journey of the great Jammu and Kashmir pacer was never easy. He struggled, grinded in domestic Cricket, and worked hard for his success even going against his Father’s will to give study a priority over Cricket.
When a teenaged Auqib Nabi received an opportunity to attend a BCCI pace bowling camp where Australian great Glenn McGrath was mentor guiding young pacer bowling talents, Nabi was in the middle of preparing for his Class 12 board examinations with bio-science as his chosen stream. His father, Ghulam Nabi Dar, a school teacher who believed education came first, was firmly against the idea of his son putting studies on hold for Cricket. Dar eventually gave in, a decision that changed the course of Nabi’s life.
“His father was dead against him attending the camp organized by BCCI despite McGrath being the coach. He told me that he should instead focus on studies and prepare for his medical entrance test. I had to convince him that Auqib can’t miss this opportunity to train under McGrath,” Zubair Dar, Nabi’s first club captain, recollected the incident still etched in his memory. A close friend of Nabi, Zubair gives a lot of credit to his father for understanding where his son’s passion was.
“Once I was able to convince his dad, he said that he won’t allow Auqib to travel by train from Srinagar to Chennai by train. He arranged for Rs 10,000, quite a sum for a government school teacher and told Auqib to take a flight. A few months back when Auqib got a record deal in IPL, his father recollected that how I had convinced him back then,” Zubair said, a touch emotional as memories kept flooding in.
For Zubair, the best part about Auqib is that success and fame hasn’t changed him a bit. “He is a man who believes in minding his own business, talks very less and hasn’t changed one bit in all these years. Even before leaving for IPL camp, he suddenly dropped in at my residence. This is a result of his hardwork for all these years,” Zubair said.
Hailing from Sheeri village, which is eight kilometres from main Baramulla town, it was Auqib’s simplicity that caught Zubair’s attention. “He was around 14 when he played for an opposition team against our club Baramulla Cricket Club (BCC). He bowled well and nearly won the match for his team with a 50-run knock. I asked him after the match if he would like to join our club. He asked: ‘Brother do I need to pay money to play?’ I was bowled over by his innocence,” Zubair laughed.
In fact, talking about Auqib, Zubair is a treasure trove of stories. “In Kashmir, at that time, there was only one turf wicket and that was in Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir stadium. We had a district match there and as we entered the stadium, Auqib said, ‘brother I couldn’t sleep the whole night thinking that I will play at Sher-e-Kashmir ground’,” he remembered.
The start however couldn’t have been more embarrassing. The first ball he bowled, he skidded on the popping crease and slid to the middle of the 22 yards. We all came running and saw he was wearing sneakers. He didn’t know he had to wear bowling spikes. So, our senior bowler at other end would complete his over and hand him his spikes”.
That Auqib was simpleton to the point of being naive was understood that once he attended two separate camps organised by two warring JKCA factions in a single day. “He first bowled at Shere-e-Kashmir in one of the faction’s camps. Then he went to University ground and bowled at the other faction’s camp. When I came to know, I was terrified and asked him how he could do it. He said an official of one of the factions said, he could play Ranji Trophy. But that was Auqib and his innocence for you.”
Zubair thanked former skipper Parvez Rasool and star India all-rounder Irfan Pathan for helping him a lot during formative years at first class level.
“Irfan sir had played a massive role in Auqib’s rise and Parvez bhai when he was the captain at the beginning of his career gave him a lot of exposure,” Zubair said.
However the kind of person Auqib is could be gauged by how he speaks about his peers. “When he didn’t make the squad for Afghanistan series, a lot of people around him asked why and he replied, ‘Those who got chance to play are equally good. I will also get my chance’. That tells you about his attitude which always remains positive,” Zubair concluded.
Nabi has taken a staggering 104 wickets across the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, including 60 at an astonishing average of 12.56 in the 2025-26 campaign, when he played a pivotal role in J&K’s maiden Ranji Trophy triumph. He also impressed on the recent India ‘A’ tour of Sri Lanka, claiming six wickets in two fourday matches, including figures of 4-58 in the first innings of the opening game.
Named player of the tournament in the Ranji Trophy, Nabi registered seven five-wicket hauls last season. His standout performances included 5-54 in the final against Karnataka, match figures of 9-123 in the semifinal against Bengal and 12-110 in the quarterfinal against Madhya Pradesh. He played a pivotal role in Jammu and Kashmir’s maiden and historic Ranji Trophy 2025-26 winning campaign.
Former India allrounder Irfan Pathan believes Nabi has thoroughly earned his opportunity.
“It’s not just about last season. Nabi has been performing consistently for a while now and I’m confident he’ll do well if he gets an opportunity. Sri Lanka usually offers seamers a bit of assistance, especially in humid conditions,” Pathan stated.
Pathan also welcomed the selectors rewarding domestic performers such as Nabi and Madhya Pradesh off-spinning allrounder Saransh Jain. “It’s recognition for domestic cricket. Test cricket should reward consistent performances in the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy,” he said.
Having mentored J& K during his coaching stint, Pathan explained what makes Nabi so effective.
“His action is compact and repeatable, allowing him to hit the seam consistently,” Pathan said. “His biggest strength is his seam position. Because it’s so upright, the ball moves late after pitching and forces batters to play. That’s why he has troubled even top domestic batters.”
Pathan also believes Nabi’s experience of bowling long spells in first-class cricket will ease his transition to Test cricket. “He bowls long spells regularly, so his body is used to that workload. That’s a big advantage. Now it’s about making the most of the opportunity.” To those questioning Nabi’s pace, Pathan offered a blunt response. “How much pace do you want? If you’re dismissing batters while bowling in the 130s by making them play defensively, you’re doing something right. Control and late movement are what matter.”
Former India allrounder Parvez Rasool, the first cricketer from J& K to represent India in international cricket, congratulated Nabi on social media. “What is meant for you will find you. No amount of rejection or ignorance can change your destiny. Heartiest congratulations, Auqib Nabi, on your well-deserved selection to the Indian Test squad.”
Whether Nabi makes his debut in Sri Lanka Test series will be clear few days later but it is almost certain that bowler of his caliber could be India’s future pace bowling pillar.
