Auqib Nabi, the Jammu and Kashmir pacer, is breaking down the door when it comes to selection for the national team. The 29-year-old took his seventh five-wicket haul in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season, as he helped his side take a first-innings lead in the summit clash against Karnataka at the KSCA Hubli Cricket Ground in Hubballi. Owing to this first innings lead, Jammu and Kashmir are now on the cusp of their maiden Ranji title, and if this happens, it would be a historic feat for the entire region.
Looking at Nabi’s performance in the summit clash, former India captain and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly heaped praise. He told the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, to consider him for the national team. Dada stated that England would be the best place for Auqib to get a taste of the blue jersey.
India are slated to tour England for a white-ball series in July 2026 and hence the Prince of Kolkata believes the time is ripe for Auqib to feature in the Indian squad.
“J&K has shown the world what effort and intent can do ..They have made that region so proud of them .. tuff environment makes tuff people. Aqib nabi on his way to national colours .. england is the place to start in the summer @bcci @imAagarkar @lonsaikia,” Ganguly wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The brilliance of Auqib Nabi can be judged by the fact that he made the ball talk on a pitch where Karnataka bowlers struggled and conceded 584 runs in the first innings. He was able to make the ball go away and also bring it in.
He returned with figures of 5/54 in 23 overs and dismissed India’s Test batters KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, and Karun Nair. With this five-wicket haul, Nabi’s wicket tally in the 2025-26 season rose to 60.
He is just the third pacer in the Ranji Trophy’s 92-year history to claim 60 wickets in a single season. He also became the highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season.
Nabi’s remarkable run
The latest five-wicket haul was Nabi’s seventh of this season and 15th overall. The pacer has been remarkable of late, and he was also awarded with an Indian Premier League (IPL) gig after being picked by Delhi Capitals for INR 8.40 crore in the auction.
India are slated to travel to Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series later this year and the side are also scheduled to fly down to New Zealand for a multi-format series. With such performances, Nabi has definitely thrown his hat into the ring for the Test call-up.
Speaking of the Ranji final, Jammu and Kashmir posted 584 in the first innings and the side then bundled out Karnataka for 293. The score would have been all the more lower had Mayank not played a knock of 160. His lone fight ensured that J&K had to toil hard for dismissing Karnataka.
