CHENNAI: At this point, Auqib Nabi has said several times how he did not expect to play white-ball cricket for India before getting his Test cap. After all, he came in with the reputation and weightage of Ranji Trophy wickets and a trophy for Jammu and Kashmir.
And for reasons he could not be blamed for, the ODI debut did not go well. The seamer, known for his seam and swing rather than pace, went wicketless while conceding 84 runs against West Indies in Guwahati on a surface that head coach Gautam Gambhir was not pleased with.
The thing with Nabi, however, is that the team management knows what he brings to the table. They were not worried about the runs he gave on a flat pitch in India. Instead, they were more than happy to see what he could do in SENA conditions.
For starters, New Zealand. And since landing in the country, he has taken two three-fers for India A with the red-ball. It impressed the selectors to an extent where he was added to the squad for the first three ODIs too. And he delivered, providing early breakthroughs with white ball in Wellington.
Though there are two more ODIs to go, Nabi has grown in confidence. He also knows his strengths and why it works in New Zealand conditions. "Obviously, if you have the pace, it's very good. But my skill, I back that. I have done well in domestic cricket. Here, I have come on skill. if there is pace, it is a plus factor. But I back my skill. What I did well in domestic will be useful here as well," said Nabi.
What has also helped him is bowling in the nets to the trio of Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. "Actually, this is my first time putting a ball in New Zealand. So, it is a little different here. Here, you have to depend more on the seam movement. Because the top level batters play swing. So, that was their feedback (the trio). Here, if you do scramble seam or hit the deck, there is a chance to get more wickets here. That is what they told me," he explained.
While he acknowledges that the ODI call-up came as a surprise, Nabi has adapted to the challenge. "If you look at my white-ball record in domestic, it is good. To be honest, I wasn't expecting my first call to be in white ball. I was expecting it to be in red ball. Nonetheless, it's a good opportunity for me to show my skills. Whatever wicket you are playing on, whether it is a helping or a flat wicket. Your motive is to put the ball in good areas. And hopefully, when there is help from the wicket, you have to put a lot of attention in that as well. You can go for runs if you are not disciplined," he said.
As things stand, he is expected to stay back with the squad after the ODIs to help the team prepare for the two Tests. However, if the past few months have shown him anything, it is to put his head down and do the work and rest could fall in place. Nabi hopes to do just that over the next few weeks.