Auqib Nabi was undoubtedly over the moon when he made his India debut. However, there was an element of surprise. Having taken 60 wickets during J&K’s Ranji Trophy-winning campaign, Nabi was expecting to earn his India cap in Test cricket. He had received his maiden India call-up after Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the Sri Lanka Tests, but instead, the opportunity came later, in the home ODIs against West Indies. The same series in which batters had a blast, with both teams combining to amass 2109 runs across the three games.
Understandably, Nabi’s India debut didn’t quite go as desired as he bled 84 runs without taking a wicket. In between, he featured in the first unofficial Test between India A and New Zealand A, claiming six wickets in the match, before returning to the ODI setup. He hasn’t been included in India’s Test squad for the New Zealand series but will stay back to help the batters prepare.
“I have a decent record in white-ball cricket too. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting a call-up in the white-ball format. I was expecting one in red-ball cricket, but nonetheless, it’s a good opportunity for me. It’s good for all of us that we’ll get more experience. Being with the team is always good. We’ll get to learn a lot,” Nabi said on the eve of the fourth ODI in Mount Maunganui.
Nabi boasts a more impressive record in red-ball cricket. In 47 first-class matches, he has taken 180 wickets at an average of 18.9. In comparison, across 79 List A and T20 matches combined, his tally stands at 101 wickets. His average also takes a considerable dip in List-A cricket, at 28.9, and in T20S, at 18.1.
{{/usCountry}}Nabi boasts a more impressive record in red-ball cricket. In 47 first-class matches, he has taken 180 wickets at an average of 18.9. In comparison, across 79 List A and T20 matches combined, his tally stands at 101 wickets. His average also takes a considerable dip in List-A cricket, at 28.9, and in T20S, at 18.1.
{{/usCountry}}Ahead of the New Zealand tour, Nabi spent considerable time sharpening his red-ball skills. In September, turning out for Surrey, he grabbed 4/36 against Glamorgan. Although he played just one game, the 30-year-old returned home having gained some valuable experience.
Nabi isn’t a tearaway pacer like his fellow J&K quick Umran Malik, but what he brings to the table is special in its own way.
“If you have pace, nothing like it. But I have worked on my skills and used them well to reach where I am today. Having pace is a plus, but I back my skills. What I have done in domestic cricket will be useful here too,” Nabi said.
“This is my first time in New Zealand. You have to depend more on seam movement here. Top-level batters are capable enough of playing swing. So their feedback was simple: the more you bowl with a scrambled seam or hit the deck hard, the higher your chances of taking wickets.”
Having gone wicketless in his first two ODIs, Nabi finally made an impact in the rain-truncated Wellington game, picking up 2/31 and dismissing openers Will Young and Tim Seifert. Neither dismissal came through what Nabi is best known for - swing - but rather through his ability to hit the right lines and lengths. Gurnoor Brar inflicted the most damage in that game with four wickets, but in a bowling line-up where Arshdeep Singh is the senior-most campaigner, Nabi is proving to be a valuable addition.
“The bowlers do talk to each other about how to bowl on different wickets. And since there are quite a few drop-in wickets, Anshul [Kamboj], Arshdeep and I have similar things to discuss,” he said.
“On flatter pitches, you’ll have to be more disciplined. On helping wickets, you just have to bowl in the good areas.”