Auqib Nabi talks about his cricketing journey, dream & more ahead of SL vs IND Test series

J&K pacer Auqib Nabi replaces Jasprit Bumrah in India’s squad for the Sri Lanka Test series.

There are stories in Indian cricket that begin with an academy, a scholarship, a scout spotting a raw talent in a U14 camp. Then there are stories like this one, built brick by brick, over a decade, far from the glare of the IPL auction table or the national selectors’ radar, in the quiet cricketing corners of Jammu and Kashmir.

For years, Auqib Nabi was known primarily to ardent followers of the Ranji Trophy; he was a tireless right-arm seamer who bowled long spells for Jammu & Kashmir, often on pitches and in conditions that offered him little reward beyond the satisfaction of doing his job well.

However, things changed in the last two seasons. Some kind of shift was evident in his game; his bowling became more effective in rhythm and control, yielding good results. J&K’s cricket suddenly has a spine to its bowling attack, and the man leading the charge had numbers too big to ignore.

With Jasprit Bumrah being ruled out of the two-Test series against Sri Lanka because of an incomplete recovery from a left knee injury, the J&K pacer got his maiden call-up for India.

Auqib Nabi earns maiden India call-up after Bumrah injury setback

In an interview with DD Sports, taken before his call-up was even confirmed, Nabi laid out the ambition that had quietly driven him through years of grinding domestic cricket.

“My dream is to wear the Test cap of India,” he said. “In the next five years, you will see me in the team. That is my dream, to represent India, especially for the Red Ball.”

It’s a striking thing to hear, not because the ambition is unusual for a professional cricketer, but because of how he said it, and how quickly life would go on to fast-track that five-year timeline into a matter of months. Nabi didn’t know it yet, but by the time this interview aired, Jasprit Bumrah’s injury setback would open the exact door he’d been dreaming of.

For the 29-year-old pacer, the place he came from never stopped him from dreaming. “Whenever a person starts playing cricket, especially with J&K, it is my dream to represent my state, my country.” But that dream, he was quick to point out, came without a safety net.

“Earlier, there was not much support. There was no one to represent the country or to play at a high level. At that time, there was no such infrastructure,” Nabi added.

What changed things was seeing Parvez Rasool, a fellow Kashmiri, debut for India, to which Nabi said, “But when Parvez Rasool made his debut for India, I changed completely. He plays with us; he is our local. If he represents India, then we can do it too.

For a bowler who looked on to see someone else perform before he had faith in his abilities, Auqib Nabi’s inclusion in the Test squad is not just about filling one slot; it shows that cricket from the quiet corners of Kashmir is finally getting recognition.

India’s squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka

Shubman Gill (C), KL Rahul (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sai Sudharsan (subject to fitness clearance), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain and Auqib Nabi.

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