Baramulla-born fast bowler Aaqib Nabi is on the brink of making history as the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to play Test cricket for India. The 24-year-old earned his maiden national call-up for the upcoming two-match Test series in Sri Lanka following an injury to star pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
Bumrah was excluded from the squad after failing to fully recover from a left knee injury suffered during India’s recent ODI series against England. Confirming the roster change, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia highlighted Nabi’s impressive domestic record, paving the way for a potential debut when the opening Test starts in Galle on August 15.
The series concludes with the second Test in Colombo starting August 23.
Nabi’s selection is the result of exceptional consistency in red-ball cricket rather than IPL exposure. Over the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, the right-arm seam bowler has taken 104 wickets. His standout campaign yielded 60 wickets, driving Jammu and Kashmir to a historic first Ranji Trophy title. He further solidified his credentials during an India A tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year, picking up six wickets across two first-class fixtures.
Should he feature in the starting lineup, Nabi will achieve a feat yet to be accomplished by any player from his region. While Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik previously earned white-ball caps for India, no cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir has played in the Test arena.
Since making his first-class debut in 2020, Nabi has accumulated 162 wickets in 43 matches at an impressive clip, featuring single-inning best figures of 7 for 24. His career statistics include seven four-wicket hauls, 16 five-wicket hauls, and four 10-wicket match hauls, alongside 999 runs with the bat.
