Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan was surprised after fast bowler Auqib Nabi was once again overlooked for India selection for the Sri Lanka tour squad despite performing outstandingly for Jammu and Kashmir for the past couple of domestic seasons.
Nabi has been in excellent form over the last two domestic seasons. The fast bowler impressed everyone in the Ranji Trophy, earned an IPL contract, performed well for India A, but still missed out on his maiden India Test call-up for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour.
Auqib Nabi’s India dream delayed again despite stunning form
Auqib Nabi took 60 wickets in the last Ranji Trophy and played a key role in helping Jammu and Kashmir win their first-ever Ranji Trophy title. His performances earned him an IPL contract with Delhi Capitals and a place in the India A squad for the Sri Lanka tour.
The Jammu and Kashmir pacer continued his form in Sri Lanka by taking six wickets in two four-day matches for India A. Even after performing in the Sri Lankan conditions, the Indian selectors once again overlooked the seasoned pacer for the upcoming two-match Test series next year.
Irfan Pathan stunned as Nabi misses India Test squad again
After the Test squad announcement, Irfan Pathan admitted that he could not understand the logic behind continuously overlooking the in-form Auqib Nabi. He felt the selectors should have handed Nabi his debut during India’s one-off Test against Afghanistan, but they played Mohammed Siraj despite that one-off Test not being part of the ICC World Test Championship.
Irfan Pathan was quoted as saying by Sportstar: “I honestly don’t have any logical answer for Nabi not being picked. I didn’t understand the selection process. If domestic performances matter, why didn’t you reward Auqib? That was the best opportunity to play him and test him at that level. His performances deserved a reward.”
Irfan Pathan compares Saransh Jain’s selection with Auqib Nabi’s snub
The cricket pundit further said that domestic performances should be rewarded. He praised Saransh Jain for earning his maiden India call-up through domestic performances but questioned why the same reward was not given to Nabi despite his consistent performances.
Pathan said, “What signal are we sending to domestic cricketers? Saransh Jain getting picked on the back of domestic performances is fantastic. It tells domestic cricketers that performances will be rewarded. He’s 33 and got rewarded for four or five years of consistent performances.
But then, what’s wrong with Auqib? He has performed consistently too, and as a fast bowler there are even more opportunities because pacers get injured more often, so a back-up always helps…” Amid this, AB de Villiers questions Rishabh Pant’s Test selection.
Irfan Pathan says India are wasting Auqib Nabi’s best years
He pointed out that Nabi has been consistently troubling the top batters, including KL Rahul. The former World Cup winner also said that pace should not be the only factor while selecting fast bowlers.
Pathan said that Nabi bowls around 133-135 km/h, gets late swing, and can also contribute with the bat in the lower order, so it’s weird that the selectors are ignoring him.
Pathan further slammed the selectors for wasting Auqib Nabi’s peak, saying the fast bowlers usually play their best cricket between the ages of 27 and 32, and Nabi will turn 30 in November.
He signed off by saying, “The more you delay a fast bowler’s peak, the more you are going to lose out on him. Fast bowlers are at their peak between 27 and 32. You don’t want to miss that window, especially when someone is in rhythm. I’m still trying to find the logic behind this decision.”
