Jammu and Kashmir. The pristine north of India, filled with luscious valleys and natural beauty that the mind can’t fathom. Its picturesque identity unfortunately became its own undoing, as the region has been a hotbed for conflict both internationally and domestically. The constant uproar in the union territory takes away from the locals’ participation in extracurriculars to develop and stand out on a national basis. Cricket, for example, while being played since 1960, never really seemed like an area where J&K flourished.

It even took them till the 1982-83 Ranji Trophy season to win their first match against Services. But 43 years on, it’s a different story.

Jammu and Kashmir stunned the Indian domestic setup, winning their maiden Ranji Trophy title. This wasn’t a fluke in any regard. J & K finished second in the group stage, just behind the most successful team in the competition, Mumbai, beating the likes of Delhi, Hyderabad and Rajasthan to secure a spot in the knockout stages. The fairytale continued as they took out Madhya Pradesh in the quarter-final, following that up by beating Bengal in the semi-final.

Finally, they capped off the milestone run by dominating Karnataka in the final, scoring 584 in the first innings, an opening lead that gave them the win as the game ended in a draw. The heroes of J&K will forever have their names etched in history, but one of these names has carved himself an opening for a new beginning.

Incredible rise

Auqib Nabi Dar hails from the village of Sheeri, roughly 50 kilometres from the state’s summer capital, Srinagar. He started as a humble fast bowler for J&K in the Ranji setup, playing since 2020.

Pushing 30, Nabi’s story seemed to be the same as the thousands who remain regulars for their sides at the domestic level, a dream to play for India, but never being able to get past the tight ceiling above them to do so, especially now in the rapidly evolving and overtly competitive Indian cricket landscape.

Even more so, J&K had only produced two international players in the past, Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik, both of whom disappeared practically as soon as they received their international caps.

International debut soon?

But in this championship season, Nabi shattered and soared past that ceiling, bagging a ludicrous 60 wickets in the Ranji campaign, winning the player of the season accolade, earning an India call-up and now just banging on the door for his first international cap.

He’s set to represent India in the ODI series against the West Indies later this month. He is also well in the pipeline to receive his India whites, which would also make him the first player from J&K to do so in Tests, a goal he has had long before this breakout season.

“Of course whenever you start playing cricket, the goal is always to play for India,” said Nabi whilst playing for Surrey in the County Championship, speaking exclusively to The Crichub.

“So that is still the goal and going forward also that will be the goal, so I will try my hardest to
play well and achieve that goal.”

Nabi throwing his hat into the ring could not have come at a more crucial time for India. The
2025/27 ICC World Test Championship has been underwhelming to say the least for Gautam Gambhir’s side as they sit at fifth place in the table. With seven scheduled games remaining, the hopes for a spot in the final in June next year at the Oval are looking unlikely. India’s fast bowling lineup has undergone several changes in the WTC cycle.

Among the regulars, spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been unreliable for the majority of this campaign with his fitness. Prasidh Krishna is usually in his stead, but is a wild card with a highly erratic bowling economy.
Despite his wickets, Mohammed Siraj is the mainstay, staying fairly consistent with his spells but lacking wickets as of late.

*In their last five Test matches, with Nabi’s record in First Class

When putting Nabi’s numbers next to India’s pace options, the J & K bowler stands out in at least one aspect against the rest of his competition. A bowling average of 20.89 is the most glaring difference among all the other stats, which still pales in comparison to the 12.56 he averaged in the Ranji Trophy season, proving his ability to remain consistent over a long season. With the problems in India’s pace gauntlet noted above, the balance in Nabi’s records may be the answer Gambhir has been looking for.

Nabi an automatic pick for NZ?

More recently, due to a larger number of home series, spinners have been given the preference in the bowling lineups. The likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, along with newcomers Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain, have found themselves in the selection rotation, with the pacers often made to take a backseat.

But India will need to pivot to more pace options as up next they head to New Zealand for a two-match series in November, where greener tracks demand more swing, an ability seemingly central to Nabi and he’s already trodden those waters in similar English conditions for Surrey.

In his spell with Surrey, Nabi took eight wickets in the two games he played against Yorkshire and Glamorgan. At first against Yorkshire, there was a learning curve with the more movement- prone Duke’s red ball and the typical overcast English conditions.

But once in rhythm, those elements became his greatest strength, added to by his affinity for swing. He unleashed that strength against Glamorgan, taking 4/36 in the first innings. In the second innings, as the wicket eased up, Glamorgan were running away with the game, with England future star Asa Tribe leading the onslaught, scoring a century as Glamorgan led by 357 runs at the end of day two.

‘Like bowling in English conditions’

Nabi then stepped up in the morning of day three to end Tribe’s terrifying innings at 155, with a textbook short-of-length ball with the slightest hint of movement, crashing into Tribe’s pads for an LBW, a delivery that perfectly sums up the discipline Nabi brings to the table.

“I am really liking it here; the conditions are quite different from India,” said Nabi about bowling
on the greener English wickets.

“It’s good that it’s a different experience, with different pitches, so I like it; it’s a good experience
and I am getting to learn a lot from it.”

Speaking of Nabi’s abilities, Surrey head coach Gareth Batty said, “It goes without saying his skill set looks quite incredible, the way he moves the ball. Traditional skills but high-end skills.”

No mug with the bat

Bowling was not all he did. In a difficult and low-scoring affair against Yorkshire, Nabi scored a late six to bring his Surrey side closer in the chase as they were faltering, and the three feathers escaped with a one-wicket win over their northern rivals in a County Championship classic.

The batting ability doesn’t come from nowhere. Just earlier this year in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, J&K stood at 90/7 chasing 269 against Hyderabad, with Nabi at the crease coming in at eight.

The “bowler” smashed an unbeaten 114 off just 82 balls with 10 fours and eight sixes in an 182-run partnership with Vanshaj Sharma as J&K saw through the chase with over two overs remaining and no more wickets lost. In an era where Gambhir expects his tail to bat, Nabi has shown that he can put a big green tick next to that requirement.

That is among many other boxes he has already ticked, and it’s begun to pay off with his maiden ODI call-up. It’s now only a matter of time before Nabi bowls that first ball for India, not just limited-overs cricket but also in the red-ball game. But now the question is: does he feel set for the international game?

“I hope so, that is what I am working towards,” he said when asked about being ready for
International cricket.

“But I try not to think too much about selection. I just work on my process as I am and try not to put too much pressure on myself. I just need to enjoy my game, which I am, and hopefully I’ll get to play for India soon.”

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