Who is Auqib Nabi
India’s men’s Test squad for the upcoming series in Sri Lanka has welcomed two new faces: Saransh Jain and Auqib Nabi. It is the inclusion of the latter that has sparked the most discussion. Nabi has already made a name for himself as an outstanding bowler, and he is now stepping up to strengthen India’s Test side. So, who is Auqib Nabi?
Who Is Auqib Nabi? A Bowling All-Rounder Making Waves
Auqib Nabi is a 29-year-old cricketer who was born in the village of Sheeri in Jammu and Kashmir. Nabi made his professional cricket debut in September 2018 during the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy. A year later, he played his first T20 match, before breaking into first-class cricket in January 2020 with his debut in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy. Over the following years, Nabi established himself as a reliable wicket-taking bowler capable of consistently troubling and dismissing batters.
A medium-pacer with pinpoint accuracy, remarkable consistency and nerves of steel, Nabi can move the ball both ways and keep batters guessing. That is who Auqib Nabi is. Indian cricket fans also know him as the “Baramulla Express.”
To date, Auqib Nabi has played 43 first-class matches, conceding 3,019 runs and taking 162 wickets. He has also claimed five wickets in an innings on 16 occasions. The Baramulla Express currently boasts an impressive first-class bowling average of 18.63.
The bowler has produced plenty of standout moments throughout his career. One only needs to look back at the 2025-26 season, which proved to be a dream campaign for Nabi. He helped Jammu and Kashmir lift their first-ever Ranji Trophy title and finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, claiming 60 wickets in ten matches and earning the Player of the Tournament award. Across the past two Ranji Trophy seasons, Nabi has taken an outstanding 104 wickets.
Auqib Nabi has also enjoyed considerable success in List A cricket. He has a century to his name, having scored an unbeaten 114 against Hyderabad in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Nabi also represented India A in Sri Lanka, where he picked up six wickets across two first-class matches.
Who Did Auqib Nabi Replace?
Auqib Nabi’s inclusion in India’s Test squad came after Jasprit Bumrah suffered a knee injury ahead of the series in Sri Lanka. Bumrah is one of the national team’s leading bowlers, but he has been dealing with an injury to his left knee. The star pacer sustained the injury during the ODI series against England and continued to experience discomfort. Although he was initially named in the squad for the Sri Lanka tour, subject to a fitness assessment, he was eventually ruled out and replaced by Nabi.
India’s Men’s Selection Committee officially confirmed that Auqib Nabi would replace Jasprit Bumrah in the Test squad.
It was also announced that Nabi would be joined in the Test setup by 33-year-old Saransh Jain. The bowling all-rounder has an excellent first-class résumé of his own, with 188 wickets and 2,223 runs at bowling and batting averages of 27.30 and 31.75 respectively. Jain also recently toured Sri Lanka with India A.
What Can India Expect from Auqib Nabi?
There is little doubt that bringing the Baramulla Express into the squad for the Sri Lanka series was the right call from India’s team management. Although Nabi has never played at this level before, the Jammu and Kashmir bowler hardly looks like a raw and inexperienced newcomer. If anything, this call-up has been coming for some time. In the current circumstances, who would be a better option than Auqib Nabi?
Therefore, despite losing their first-choice bowler Jasprit Bumrah, Indian cricket fans have little reason to panic. Both Auqib Nabi and Saransh Jain should add valuable strength and depth to the national side, helping India pick up the points they need in the ICC World Test Championship standings. That is exactly what the country will be hoping for.
