The BCCI named the Indian Test and ODI squads for the upcoming series against Afghanistan in June. J&K pacer Auqib Nabi, it looked like, was never in consideration for selection, but a few reports did surface that injury-prone Gurnoor Brar was set to make the cut. While the claims looked questionable at first, that is eventually what happened. The best domestic pacer for the last 2-3 Ranji Trophy seasons, was overlooked for reasons still unknown.
That only brings us to the question, are Ranji performances even looked at, in team selections? Or, are the selectors missing out on some great potential players for the Indian team, that a fan can see just looking at pieces of stats? It is an endless debate, but one, that should be had, just for the betterment of Indian cricket.
Auqib Nabi, not the fastest but mighty effective
The 29-year-old pacer is one of those, who doesn’t rely a lot on pace, but his accuracy, and a bit of swing both ways to get his wickets. Having made his FC debut, he has featured in 41 matches, and picked up 156 wickets, out of which 104 have come only in the last two seasons.
In this year’s tournament, he led J&K to their maiden Ranji title, and picked up a staggering 60 wickets, at an average of 12.56. This happens to be only the third time a pacer has managed to do that — after Dodda Ganesh (62 wickets in 1998-99), and Jaydev Unadkat (67 in 2019-20). And then a year before that, he had bagged 44 in 8 matches, the second most in the season.
Comparing Auqib Nabi to other domestic bowlers
Just to be able to comprehend, what Nabi achieved in FC cricket; it is mind-boggling in a way. On placid Indian wickets, he has been miles away from the other pacers. In the 2024-25, when he picked up 44 scalps, the next best pacer was Tripura’s Manisankar Murasingh, who picked up 35 in 6.
Go to the elite teams, Shardul Thakur had 35 in 9 matches for Mumbai. Whereas this year, after his 60 wickets, the next pacer on the list was Mohammed Shami, bagging 37 in 7 matches. That is the kind of authority, Nabi has had.
Nabi has picked up 104 wickets two seasons of Ranji Trophy. (Image Credit: auqib_nabi/Instagram)Nabi vs Gurnoor Brar
The selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar showed the green light to 6’5 pacer Gurnoor Brar, who in his own right could be an excellent bowler, but how does he stack up, when compared to Nabi? Statistically, Brar has played 18 matches and picked up 52 wickets. That seems fine, but the number of matches is a big issue here. In these 3.5/4 years, Brar has only had one full season, where he played 7 matches for Punjab, claiming 27 wickets; rest have only come in patches.
In fact, this year, he played 2 matches, picking up only 4 wickets. So, looks like, the longevity was not factored in.
Why Nabi was not picked?
Former India cricketer, Suresh Raina offered his take on why Nabi could have been ignored this time around. Speaking on JioHotstar, he said, “Auqib Nabi should have gotten a chance. He played a key role in Jammu and Kashmir winning the Ranji Trophy for the first time.”
The southpaw added that perhaps, the stakeholders might have gotten some inputs from skipper Shubman Gill, with reference to the players he wanted. “But I feel Prasidh and Siraj are bowling well with good line and length. They have pace, and Gurnoor, who is 6’5″, comes from Punjab and has taken 52 wickets in 18 first-class matches. I am sure Shubman Gill would have given his inputs about the kind of bowlers he wanted. Gurnoor offers a point of difference because of his height and build.”
The verdict
It just gives a feeling, that the selectors are not looking at Ranji performances. He is at an age where he will/has hit his prime, and if picked, can deliver for India for the next few years. But then being the highest wicket-taker perhaps holds little value. What raises questions further is, that the man has never been picked in an India A side as well. IND A played series’ vs England Lions, AUS A and SA A, but he was nowhere to be seen.
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