It's all in the mind for in-form Jammu & Kashmir pacer Nabi
CHENNAI: Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi was the second leading wicket-taker and the first among the seamers during the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season with his 44 wickets at an average of 13.93. The 29-year-old from Baramulla started from where he left as he grabbed four wickets in four balls for North Zone against East Zone in the 2025-26 season opener Duleep Trophy picking up his first five-for in the process a few months back.
Things only got better as the season progressed with Nabi scalping yet another five-wicket haul against domestic giants Mumbai in J&K's first Ranji Trophy match. After the five matches, Nabi once again is second in the top wicket-takers' list and first among the fast bowlers with his 29 wickets at an average of 15.34, a tad better than his previous season. Not the one with searing pace, Nabi relies more on his immaculate line and length than anything else and that seems to be his success mantra. He started with outswing and then developed inswing as well to add a new weapon to his arsenal. "I have kept it simple. I have to bowl in good areas and not to overthink about the results," Nabi told this daily after his 10-wicket match haul including seven wickets in the second innings which saw J&K thrash Rajasthan by an innings and 41 runs.
Nabi has not made a lot of changes in his bowling from the last season but one thing he worked on was the mindset. "Ahead of the season I have worked on my mindset. You have to be positive and bowl in good areas. Results are not in your hand but you have to give your best." Nabi also scored a half-century in the Rajasthan match, his maiden in first-class cricket. He is paying attention to that aspect of the game as well. "I work a lot on my batting as if you have an extra skill then it's better for you and the team."
Working with experts like mental trainers and psychologists is quite common in sports these days but Nabi has taken that role for himself. "Patience is very important and it comes with a strong mind. I have to bowl consistently in good areas and wait for batters to commit mistakes on pitches that have little or no assistance for the pacers. You don't have to over try or overdo things. I don't think about the wickets and the batters I am bowling to. I stick to my line and length and keep repeating the process irrespective of the conditions." His journey in life up to this point has prepared him for it. With the infrastructure almost non-existent in Baramulla, Nabi's father, Ghulam Nabi Dar — a government school teacher, wanted his son to focus on education rather than wasting time on cricket. But once he played U19 tournaments for his state, the family threw their support behind him.
But reaching there was not easy and Nabi too had to fail in selection trials a couple of times before making it to the squad. J&K all-rounder Parvez Rasool then made history by becoming the first from the valley to wear India colours. "Parvez bhai's selection gave me a lot of motivation and inspiration as I started taking cricket seriously. Then during my initial Ranji days, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan became J&K mentor. It helped the cause further. In my journey so far, a lot of people like Parvez bhai and Irfan bhai helped me in various ways."
Like any cricketer, Nabi also dreams of playing for India but he doesn't want to put an extra pressure on himself by fretting over his national debut. "I can only perform. Picking me up (for India) is the selectors' call. I don't want to add pressure on myself. I will keep working hard without worrying about that aspect," Nabi signed off.