Auqib Nabi on Monday became the first cricketer from Jammu & Kashmir to be drafted into the Indian Test squad when he replaced the injured Jasprit Bumrah for the two-match series against Sri Lanka starting August 15 in Galle. Nabi’s story is a dream-come-true, for he was initially ignored by the selectors for the primary squad despite a stunning show in the Ranji Trophy. Nabi grabbed 60 wickets and finished as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament as J&K clinched their maiden Ranji title. Surprisingly, though, it wasn’t enough to earn him an India call-up, raising widespread criticism. Several cricketing greats slammed Ajit Agarkar’s committee for not rewarding Ranji performances. However, Bumrah’s unavailability opened the door for Nabi’s moment under the sun. All that’s now left is whether he is able to make the most of it.
Having said that, Nabi’s start to his cricketing journey hit an early obstacle when his father showed reluctance to his ambitions. Nabi was in Class 12th when a chance came knocking. The legendary Aussie Glenn McGrath was heading a BCCI camp nearby, and the opportunity was ideal for the kid to perform in front of arguably the best in the world. But his father, Gulam Ali Dar, a school teacher, wasn’t one to prioritise cricket over studies and firmly rejected the offer. It was then that an unfamiliar source changed his mind.
‘Studies come first’
“His father was dead against him attending the camp organised by BCCI, despite McGrath being the coach. He told me that he should instead focus on studies and prepare for his medical entrance test. I had to convince him that Auqib can’t miss this opportunity to train under McGrath,” Zubair Dar, Nabi’s first club captain, recalled while speaking to PTI.
“Once I was able to convince his dad, he said that he wouldn’t allow Auqib to travel by train from Srinagar to Chennai. He arranged for ₹10,000, quite a sum for a government schoolteacher and told Auqib to take a flight. A few months back when Auqib got a record deal in IPL, his father recollected how I had convinced him back then.”
Auqib was only 16 then, but the journey that culminated yesterday began all those years ago in Baramulla. Eventually wanting to play football, Nabi was tempted by the idea of bowling ‘fast’, and soon took that route. Nabi isn’t just a prospect with the ball. Over the years, the 29-year-old has also worked on his batting, fuelling India’s all-round stocks. And now that he’s a few days away from earning his India cap, Zubair recalls how he’s hardly noticed an ounce of change in Nabi.
‘Brother, do I need to pay money to play?’
“He is a man who believes in minding his own business, talks very little and hasn’t changed one bit in all these years. Even before leaving for the IPL camp, he suddenly dropped in at my residence. This is the result of his hard work over the years. “He was around 14 when he played for an opposition team against our club Baramulla Cricket Club (BCC). He bowled well and nearly won the match for his team with a 50-run knock. I asked him after the match if he would like to join our club. He asked, “Brother, do I need to pay money to play?’ I was bowled over by his innocence,” mentioned Zubair.
“In Kashmir, at that time, there was only one turf wicket, and that was in Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir stadium. We had a district match there, and as we entered the stadium, Auqib said, ‘Brother, I couldn’t sleep the whole night thinking that I will play at Sher-e-Kashmir ground’. The first ball he bowled, he skidded on the popping crease and slid to the middle of the 22 yards. We all came running and saw he was wearing sneakers. He didn’t know he had to wear bowling spikes. So our senior bowler at the other end would complete his over and hand him his spikes.”