India’s star all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s Test future is all but finished abruptly due to his back issues, and there is no second thought that the team has not yet been able to find such a type of all-rounder in the longest format of the game who can equally contribute with both bat and ball.
However, it now seems that the Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder Auqib Nabi can be that option for India’s Test side following his sensational performances in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26. He continued his dangerous form in the final, and he destroyed Karnataka’s batting like a storm.
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Auqib Nabi ran through the strong Karnataka line-up and picked up 5 wickets for just 54 runs in 23 overs. Karnataka had no answers to the pacer’s attack, and they were bowled out for 293 in reply to Jammu and Kashmir’s first-innings total of 584 runs in the title clash in Hubli.
Auqib Nabi takes the Ranji Trophy by storm
Jammu and Kashmir is currently leading by 426 runs, and they still have seven wickets in their hand to push the total far ahead of Karnataka’s reach. Now, they are just a few sessions behind chasing their maiden Ranji Trophy title, all thanks to Nabi, who has ruled this entire season.
Auqib Nabi now has 60 wickets in just 10 matches at a stunning average of 12.56. He has taken seven five-wicket hauls. Conditions do not matter to the fast bowler, as he has delivered on every type of pitch—green, dry, flat, or slow—in India’s premier red-ball tournament.
After his record show, former Indian cricketer and coach Priyank Panchal dropped a big statement on social media. He said India missed a golden opportunity with Hardik Pandya in Test cricket. Now, he wondered whether Auqib Nabi could be the next Hardik Pandya and provide that balance to the team.
Nabi is not a flashy all-rounder like Hardik, but he is a proper fast bowler who keeps hitting the right areas and performs consistently and also provides valuable runs in the lower batting order.
Panchal backs Auqib Nabi for New Zealand tour
Given that he believes that India’s upcoming tour of New Zealand will be the perfect time to test him in overseas conditions. New Zealand offers swing and seam, where a bowler like Nabi can shine.
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Sharing BCCI’s post for Nabi on his X handle, Priyank Panchal wrote on February 27: “Always felt Hardik was a missed opportunity for India in Tests, as the balance he brings to the side is second to none. Can Aquib, who’s more of a bowler, fill that gap in the longest format? Perfect time to test him out in the tour of New Zealand later this year? #RanjiFinal”
Always felt Hardik was a missed opportunity for India in Tests, as the balance he brings to the side is second to none. Can Aquib, who’s more of a bowler, fill that gap in the longest format? Perfect time to test him out in the tour of New Zealand later this year? #RanjiFinal t.co/OZikauBy4c
— Priyank Panchal (@PKpanchal09) February 27, 2026
Notably, Nabi has so far played 40 first-class matches and scalped 151 wickets at an average of 18.62 and a remarkable economy rate of 2.90. The right-handed batter also has 967 runs to his name with the help of two fifties in the red-ball game so far.
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