Auqib Nabi leads J&K Renaissance in Ranji Trophy with ‘India dream’ as driving force

In a season where dreams have taken flight, Auqib Nabi Dar has risen as the spearhead of Jammu & Kashmir's bowling attack in the Ranji Trophy.

The Jammu and Kashmir pacer has 43 wickets in the Ranji Trophy this season so far, the highest by a pacer. He was instrumental for them in the group stages, and continued that in the knockouts with a five-wicket haul against Kerala in the quarter-final.

Auqib Nabi dismantled the Kerala top order on Sunday with a majestic spell. He dismissed Rohan Kunnummal and then quickly removed Shoun Roger for a duck. Then the J&K pacer castled Kerala captain Sachin Baby, who could only score 2 runs. Then the experienced Jalaj Saxena fell victim to Auqib after scoring 67 runs. The wicket of Saxena was extremely important for Jammu and Kashmir as he was threatening and was extremely good during his stay at the crease. Auqib's fifth wicket came in the final delivery of the day as he took the wicket of Basil NP.

Replying to Jammu and Kashmir's 280 runs in the first innings, Kerala are struggling at 200 for 9 and are staring down at a first-innings deficit.

Reflecting on his journey, Auqib shared that he often walked around imagining himself as South African pace legend Dale Steyn, which has been a source of inspiration in his cricketing career. After not being picked up in the IPL 2025 mega auction, where his name was not even mentioned, the pacer seems to have finally moved on and is showcasing his might in domestic circuit.

MyKhel had a chat with Auqib just after J&K qualified for the knockouts, and the player said that Red Ball has been the focus for them for the last few years.

"We made good preparation. If all the players play together, there is a connection. The same coaching staff, the same players, who have been playing for 3-4 years. Everyone worked hard together. That is why the results are coming out. Our main focus was always to excel in red-ball format and we are happy we did that," Auqib said.

Before the majestic bowling, Auqib contributed significantly with the bat, scoring 32 runs in just 30 deliveries. Although bowling is Auqib's biggest weapon, the Baramulla boy says he can be handy with the bat as well.

'Yes, bowling is my main forte, but I can do some batting. I am mainly a Bowling all-rounder,' Auqib said at that time.

As Auqib continues to reach newer heights, he has only one focus in mind, that is to represent India. In recent years, Jammu and Kashmir have seen their prodigies getting national recognition, and Nabi has it in one big corner of his heart and soul.

'As long as I play, I will be dreaming to play for India. Whenever a player starts playing, he wants to represent India. This time, the performance was very good. If I perform well, hopefully, the national selectors will consider me,' the beaming, soft-spoken pacer concluded.

The dreams are what keeps one going. Auqib has navigated the hard routes and is reaping the fruits this season. Although IPL snub was a blemish on the way, he has surpassed that with flying colours. Without a shadow of doubt, the pace battery of Jammu and Kashmir looks daunting and will excel in coming years, and for Auqib, who knows national colours may come along the way!