‘My job is to only take wickets’: Nabi reflects on long wait for India selection

Galle, Aug 13 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir seam-bowling all-rounder Auqib Nabi admitted he had expectations of earning an India call-up after his sensational Ranji Trophy campaign but insisted he remained focused on performing rather than worrying about selection, a mindset that eventually helped him earn his maiden Test call-up.

Nabi claimed 60 wickets in the Ranji Trophy last season and played a pivotal role in Jammu and Kashmir’s historic maiden title triumph. Yet, despite finishing as the competition’s highest wicket-taker and playing a key role in the championship-winning campaign, the India call-up did not come immediately.

The 29-year-old said he had expected to be rewarded for his performances but maintained that his responsibility was simply to keep delivering on the field.

“Yes, I had expectations. But at the same time, a cricket player’s mindset should be there. Your job is to perform, and the rest will see. If not today, I will join the India team tomorrow,” Nabi said in a video released by the BCCI.

“You have been doing well for so many years. You have to reap the fruits of your hard work. I had the same mindset when I bowled. My job is to take wickets and perform. The rest is up to God,” he added.

Nabi’s patience eventually paid off when he was called up to India’s Test squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka as a replacement for injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

The call came at an unexpected moment for Nabi, who was at the airport preparing to travel to Bengaluru for a camp.

“I was at the airport; we had to go to a camp. The flight was going to board in Bangalore, so I got a call asking where I was. I said, ‘Sir, I am going to Bangalore, I am at the airport.’ He said, ‘No, you don’t have to go there, you have to come to Sri Lanka, and you have been selected.’ At first, I couldn’t believe it; it was unexpected,” he said.

Nabi’s India selection comes after two outstanding Ranji Trophy seasons in which Nabi amassed 104 wickets. His exploits in the 2025-26 campaign also helped Jammu and Kashmir secure their maiden Ranji Trophy title.

“I am very happy that I have been named Ranji Champion. My family is very happy. Nothing can be better than this for me,” he said.

Nabi’s domestic performances had earlier earned him his maiden IPL contract with Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026. He featured in five games, while also representing India A on the tour of Sri Lanka, where he picked up six wickets in two four-day matches as India A won the series 1-0.

He had previously been part of the national setup as a back-up net bowler during India’s one-off Test against Afghanistan, but his latest selection marks his first inclusion in the senior Test squad.

Nabi said entering the Indian dressing room has been a special experience, particularly because many of the players he is now sharing the nets and dressing room with are those he had watched on television.

“It was great. Sharing the dressing room with the people we see on TV and sharing the nets is a big deal for me,” he said.

India will begin their two-match Test series against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium on August 15.

–IANS

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