Aqib Nabi of Jammu and Kashmir is a new sensation in the Indian domestic cricket as a fast bowler. During the Ranji Trophy Elite Group A game, Aqib performed wondrous bowling that managed to make his team conquer Rajasthan by a margin in an innings. It was played at the Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium in Srinagar and the batting line-up of Rajasthan folded in-pieces because of the hot bowling of Aqib.
His magic was so unsafe that the Rajasthan players did not have solutions. The pitch provided movement and swing in pitch and Aqib took advantage of the situation. His deliveries continued flying in the air and off the surface, disconcerting each batter. Due to his extraordinary performance in bowling, the team of Rajasthan was unable to score above 250 runs in the two innings.
In their first innings Jammu and Kashmir managed to score 282. Rajasthan responded with only 152 during the first innings and 89 during the second. The match star was Aqib Nabi, who only gave 24 runs in 11 overs, but took 7 wickets. His bowling partner Yudhvir Singh, also did not let him down, taking 2 wickets off 33 runs in 8.5 overs. Through this Jammu and Kashmir had one of their most memorable victories in the history of Ranji Trophy.
A Bowler Who Can Also Bat
Aqib Nabi is not simply a good bowler, he can make his contribution in the bat. During the same match, he made 55 significant runs that enabled his team to make a high score. His performance in the Indian domestic circuit has gotten widespread attention because of his all round performance.
Who Is Aqib Nabi?
Aqib is a 28 years old fast bowler and is a resident of Baramulla, Jammu and Kashmir. Up to date, he has performed 33 first-class matches and has scored 113 wickets. He has taken five or more wickets in an innings, and ten or more wickets in a match, 11 and three times respectively.
His game in first-class cricket has been 837 runs with one half-century. He has picked 42 wickets in 29 matches in List A and 28 wickets in 27 in T20s.
Out of Notoriety to a Payday.
Aqib belongs to a humble family. His dad is a teacher at school in Kashmir. His home town Baramulla did not have any good coaching facilities and he only got to play red-ball cricket after he reached the age of 19.
The first List A match that Ready played was in 2020, two years before his first-class debut in Jammu and Kashmir. His bowling velocity is not very high but his greatest weapon is swing. He is a very dangerous bowler since he can move the ball in both directions.
Shunning Celebrities and Worshipping Heroes.
The first event that brought Aqib to the limelight was when he dropped some of the best players in Mumbai such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube in the last domestic season. Many professionals and fans of cricket were amazed by his authority and prowess.
According to him, he admires Dale Steyn of South Africa and Jasprit Bumrah of India. Aqib said these two bowlers were his teachers who made him know how to swing the ball and hit the stumps precisely.
Yet to Get an IPL Chance
Amazingly, he has not been chosen by any IPL team despite his good performances. It is believed that it is just a matter of time till a franchise will give him an opportunity. In his first game in Jammu and Kashmir against Punjab Colts in 2016, Aqib had taken five wickets. He has even made a century in the Under-23 tournament in night-watchman, evidence that he can serve both with bat and ball.
These days the name of Aqib Nabi is a household name in Indian cricket. Most analysts feel that he is the future heir that can replace Mohammed Shami. Similar to Shami, Aqib is an accurate, fluency, and confident bowler. When he maintains such a good performance, it would not take long before he is called up to the Indian national team.
