Auqib Nabi is a name that has been on everyone’s lips in the last 10-12 months. Nabi has dominated the Indian domestic circuit with remarkable performances and was being considered as a strong contender to be named in India’s squad for their one-off Test against Afghanistan.
However, to everyone’s surprise, Nabi was not picked in India’s 15-member squad on Wednesday (May 19). The selectors instead named only three pacers in the team: Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar. When asked about Nabi’s non-selection, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that the J&K pacer was “close”, but they could only name three fast bowlers due to the lack of seam-friendly conditions in India.
“There is always a chat around that,” Agarkar said of Nabi’s chance during the press conference on Tuesday. “You do not necessarily pick a lot of seamers when you pick a Test team in India. And he was close. But at this point, we have gone with the three that we have picked.”
Did Auqib Nabi deserve to be a part of India’s squad for the only Test vs Afghanistan?
Auqib Nabi’s performance in the 2025-26 season of the Ranji Trophy deserved recognition in the form of an India selection. The right-arm speedster finished the tournament as the highest wicket-taker. He claimed 60 scalps in 10 matches at an unbelievable average of 12.56, including two four-fers and seven five-wicket hauls.
He bowled a memorable spell of 5/54 in the Ranji Trophy final to help Jammu & Kashmir lift the prestigious title for the first time in their history. His five-wicket haul in the final included the big wickets of KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Ravichandran Smaran. Therefore, if anybody deserved to be picked based on the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 performance, it was Nabi.
