In a major achievement for Jammu and Kashmir cricket, young fast bowler Auqib Nabi has earned his maiden call-up to the Indian senior men’s Test team after replacing injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.

Bumrah has been ruled out of the series after failing to fully recover from a left knee injury sustained during the ODI series against England.
“Auqib Nabi replaces Jasprit Bumrah in India’s Test squad,” the BCCI posted on its social media handle.

The national selection committee has named Auqib as a replacement for injured Jasprit Bumrah, rewarding the Jammu and Kashmir pacer for his outstanding performances in domestic cricket.
The story of Auqib Nabi, who was selected for the first time in the Indian team for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka starting August 15, is no less than a film script. The journey that began with the broken pitches of Baramulla, the courtyard of his house during curfew, and limited resources has now reached the dressing room of Team India.

When the Indian team was first announced for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka starting August 15th, one of the most talked-about names was the omission of 29-year-old Auqib Nabi. The Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler was not included in the squad despite two impressive domestic seasons. This sparked considerable debate, and former cricketers criticised the selectors. However, his path to the team opened when the injured Jasprit Bumrah was ruled out of the series.

Auqib’s records

• Auqib has played 43 first-class matches so far, taking 162 wickets. His best bowling performance is seven for 24. He has taken five wickets in an innings 16 times.








• Auqib has also played 36 List A matches and 39 T20 matches. He has taken 56 wickets in List A and 43 wickets in T20.








• Auqib’s best bowling performance in List A is four for 39, while in T20 it is four for 16.








• Auqib has also scored 999 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 18.84, including two half-centuries. Furthermore, in List A, Aaqib has 572 runs at an average of 27.23, including one century.

Auqib is not only a brilliant fast bowler but also a useful lower-order batsman. Therefore, he may also get a chance to debut in Sri Lanka. However, this isn’t just a selection story. This is the story of a boy who, during curfew, bowled for hours in his courtyard, using a chair as a batsman. Today, that hard work has led him to Team India.

The selection marks the first senior India call-up for Auqib, who has emerged as one of the country’s most promising fast bowlers.

His consistent performances as a player of Jammu and Kashmir over the past two Ranji Trophy seasons played a crucial role in earning him a place in the national squad.

The 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season proved to be a landmark campaign for the young pacer. He claimed an impressive 60 wickets, helping Jammu and Kashmir win their maiden Ranji Trophy title.

Auqib played a key role when the cricket team of Jammu & Kashmir scripted a new chapter in the sports history by winning their first-ever piece of silverware – the Ranji Trophy title.

Nabi finished the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 as the leading wicket-taker, bagging 60 wickets. His tally is the seventh-highest by any bowler in an edition of the Ranji Trophy and the third-highest among fast bowlers, behind Jaydev Unadkat’s 67 in 2019-20 and Dodda Ganesh’s 62 in 1998-99.

Wickets for Nabi across the last two Ranji seasons. Only four bowlers have taken more wickets across successive Ranji seasons, and only one of them is a seamer – Unadkat picked up 106 wickets in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Nabi took 13 five-wicket hauls in 18 matches over these two seasons, which puts him behind only Ashutosh Aman, who picked up 14 in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Nabi became the first J&K bowler to bag 50-plus wickets in an edition of the Ranji Trophy. He is also the first J&K bowler to top the bowling charts in a Ranji season. The previous best finish for a J&K bowler was also Nabi in 2024-25, when he picked up 44 wickets and tied for second place, joint-second behind Harsh Dubey (69).