IND vs AFG: J&K pacer Auqib Nabi to be added to Test squad as backup
He had a record run in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy, picking up 60 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 12.65, becoming the third seamer ever to pick up 60-plus wickets in a season.
Jammu & Kashmir fast-bowler Auqib Nabi is all set to join the Indian team ahead of the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan. The game is set to be played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium in New Chandigarh from June 06.
The 29-year-old has been added to the squad in order to help him gain experience within the team environment, with an eye on potential inclusion in future series with the Test side, according to multiple media reports.
Auqib has been one of the standout performers in the Ranji Trophy in the last two seasons, picking up 104 wickets in just 18 matches. The 2024-25 season saw him pick up 44 wickets at an average of 13.93, finishing as the tournament's second-highest wicket-taker behind Vidarbha's Harsh Dubey (69 wickets in Ranji 2024-25), a part of the Indian squad for the first time.
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The "Baramullah Express" followed it up with a record run in the 2025-26 season, picking up 60 wickets in just 10 matches at an average of 12.65, becoming the first J&K bowler to pick up more than 50 wickets in a single edition of the tournament and the third seamer ever to breach the 60-wicket mark in a single season of India's premier red-ball domestic tournament.
Coming off a stellar season in the domestic circuit, it was expected that Nabi would find a place for the Afghanistan series, with the BCCI set to test out the team’s bench strength and incorporate fresh faces into the set-up. But Auqib was unable to make the cut, as the initial squad announcement saw the inclusion of Gurnoor Brar, whose hit-the-deck style of bowling was favoured by the selectors. Alongside Brar, Dubey and fellow left-arm spinner Manav Suthar are the new faces added to the squad.
The one-off Test match is set to commence on June 6, at the New Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mullanpur
He was a key contributor in J&K's historic maiden Ranji Trophy triumph and picked up figures of 5 for 54, one of seven five-wicket hauls in the season, in the first innings of the final against a star-studded Karnataka side. His run also saw him named the Player of the Tournament.
A section of fans and cricket experts had openly expressed their frustration when the original squad for the Afghanistan series was announced after seeing Nabi being ignored by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee. Finally, the demands seem to have been met, with the move suggesting that the BCCI is thinking seriously about bringing Nabi into the red-ball set-up to spearhead the attack alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, among others.
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