IND vs NZ: Auqib Nabi ends his wait for a first international wicket

On Saturday, November 7, Auqib Nabi took only five balls to score. Looking to take on India’s most inexperienced bowler, Tim Seifert eventually bowled the ball to mid-off and offered Anshul Kamboj a simple catch.

India had the first wicket of the match. Auqib Nabi had his first as well, after a wait of almost seven years since his first-class debut. The dream came true.

The nerves finally settled. Auqib Nabi celebrates one of his wickets in the 2nd ODI against New Zealand. (AP photo)

ONE BRINGS TWO FOR AUQIB NABI

The second goal was not long in coming. Bowling the third over of his opening spell, Auqib Nabi delivered as many balls as possible. Good length, into the canal. The ball got away late from Will Young, who had little response to the serve.

Outside edge, to the keeper’s hands. Auqib Nabi had his second. India had the upper hand early in the match, thanks to the fast bowler who knocked on the national team’s door so hard that it almost broke.

INCREDIBLE MAINTENANCE! KL Rahul flies across to pull off a stunning catch as Auqib Nabi picks up his second! Watch HERO VIDA India Tour of New Zealand 2nd ODI LIVE on Sony Sports Network, Sony Vizha and Sony LIV TV Channels. #SonySportsNetwork #SonyVizha #SonyLIV #NZvIND— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) November 7, 2026

Born in Sheeri, Baramulla in 1996, Auqib Nabi was never the most notable fast bowler. He had the makings of a good seafarer: a smooth attack, repeatable action, and a willingness to use long spells.

However, he lacked the X-factor that selectors often look for in a fast bowler. He wasn’t particularly tall, he didn’t jump at a fast pace, and he didn’t handle the bat with the same efficiency he held the ball.

Nabi had an almost robotic consistency. This became the foundation of his rise through the Jammu and Kashmir cricket system.

AUQIB NABI: BARAMULLA EXPRESS

Mohsin Kamal, a sports journalist from Jammu and Kashmir, has been following Auqib’s journey for years. His first memory of the fast bowler dates back to a time when even the prospect of playing Ranji Trophy cricket seemed like a distant ambition.

“The first time I heard about Auqib Nabi was when I was 14 or 15. Then there was a boy playing under-19 cricket, Haziq Bhatt, whose father was also a cricketer and understood how cricket works. I saw Auqib play in a local match in Baramulla and one day Haziq’s fast father in Baramulla told me that Haziq’s fast father told me Bashir, a cricket match whose run-up, action and everything else looked perfect. He felt the boy was designed to play at a good level,” he recalled.

“The best thing about Auqib was that he kept things simple. To the layman, he seemed like someone with very basic skills. He would come and bowl in the right areas. There was nothing extraordinary about him. Everyone in J&K cricket thought he would play Ranji Trophy cricket and do well for the state, but nobody really expected him to make it to the IPL. He didn’t have a big thing that we usually associated with the Xfacters bowl.”

But this perception started to change during the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season.

AUQIB NABI’S INDIA PUSH

Until then, Nabi was largely seen as a reliable home-seamer who could become one of Jammu and Kashmir’s leading recruits. There was no indication that he might eventually make the jump to international cricket. However, that season offered a glimpse of something else.

It wasn’t a case of one outstanding performance or a few memorable spells. Nabi started picking up wickets with remarkable consistency, repeatedly hitting the 5th and 6th canals of the stumps and making life difficult for the batsmen. He didn’t give away too many bad balls and there were very few times he looked out of rhythm. Auqib Nabi has been the best fast bowler in the Ranji Trophy for the past few seasons. (PTI Photo)

The following two seasons took that promise to another level. Nabi took 104 wickets in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 Ranji Trophy campaigns and established himself as one of the toughest players to negotiate with in domestic cricket.

The 2025-26 season was particularly special. Nabi finished as the highest wicket-taker in the competition, taking 60 wickets in 17 innings at an average of 12.65. He was the driving force behind Jammu and Kashmir’s historic first Ranji Trophy title and was named player of the tournament.

Nabi has developed into a tireless operator with the ability to move the ball both ways. His strength wasn’t necessarily in the speed with which he delivered the ball, but in the uncertainty he created. He could bring one back into the batter, take another away, and keep the ball in areas that offered little room to score.

Baramulla Express arrived.

NZ vs IND 2ND ODI HIGHLIGHTS

His rise was not built on talent alone. It was long hours of training, often away from the attention of the cricketing world.

Mohsin recalls seeing Nabi train at the Government Degree College Baramulla, where he would regularly spend hours working on the bowling.

“He worked extremely hard. I was in college at the time and he practiced at our university. I saw him practice almost every day when I came home from college. I joined him on several occasions, either watched him or stood behind the nets and watched him bowl. He had these long one-wicket sessions, sometimes at night, all by himself. I would often come out of the college and find him practicing by himself.”

“He’s worked incredibly hard and his journey has been phenomenal. No one ever expected him to make it this far. People felt he wasn’t someone who was jumping at 140km/h or wearing something super special. But he’s found his own path. What he’s achieved and what he continues to do is extraordinary.”

BADLY TIMED DIP

When the IPL auction came around, Nabi’s domestic performances made him one of India’s most sought-after fast bowlers. Delhi Capitals secured his services for Rs 8.40 crore, giving him his first opportunity in the tournament.

But the transition to white-ball cricket at the highest level was not so straightforward.

In the IPL, Nabi struggled to find his feet. Five overs, 13 overs, no wickets and an economy rate of 11.46 made difficult reading. His performances in the India A setup also did little to silence the doubts. When he finally made his ODI debut, he conceded 84 runs. Auqib Nabi did not pick a single wicket in IPL 2026. (AP Photo)

Call it fate, call it irony, but Auqib Nabi’s biggest challenge has been the reputation he has built up over the previous two seasons.

The bowler, who was in the habit of taking wickets in domestic cricket, suddenly found himself struggling to take wickets at the international level. Questions followed. Did his bowling style suit white-ball cricket? Could he make the adjustment needed to succeed against international batsmen?

There was also an element of bad luck. In his first two ODIs, Nabi created opportunities but did not always reap the rewards. Catches were dropped from his bowling, leaving him waiting for that elusive first international breakthrough.

But for the fast bowler, wickets matter. And when the results aren’t coming, the conversation around you tends to change quickly.

Mohsin Kamal watched it.

“He was a bit unlucky in the first match. He created opportunities but the catches fell from his bowling. That sticks in your mind, especially when you’re waiting for the first wicket. He was wicketless in the IPL too and people were already saying he wasn’t fit for white-ball cricket. There was constant talk that he didn’t turn up for this format,” even when the results didn’t come.

That’s why Saturday’s breakthrough was particularly important.

Its impact is not limited to the scorecard. It was in response to growing questions about his ability to translate his domestic success into international cricket. The second wicket that came soon after was a reminder of the qualities that made him such a formidable bowler in the first place. Auqib Nabi bowls deliveries in the India vs New Zealand ODI series. (Photo by AFP)

WHAT AUQIB NABI MEANS FOR KASHMIR

But he wasn’t the only star of the show today. Gurnoor Brar eventually stole the limelight with a sensational spell of 10-2-30-4, extending his brilliant run in the series and helping India cruise past New Zealand’s batting line-up.

But Nabi did enough to give himself a reason to smile.

For Mohsin, the significance of the moment went far beyond the cricket field.

“Personally, I felt really good too. I can tell you that when I woke up today, I saw that everyone in Kashmir was talking about Auqib finally getting his first international wicket. You open social media and it’s all about Auqib Nabi. That’s what it means to people in Kashmir. You see someone from your own region playing international cricket and taking a swicket.

For a region that has not had many opportunities to celebrate sporting achievements at the highest level, Nabi’s journey has already become something special. And now an international goal is connected with it.

India finally saw, however sparingly in his spell after seven years, what Auqib Nabi is really good at. Not express pace, no spectacular variations, but the art of fast bowling. The ability to consistently hit the right areas, move the ball late and make the batsmen play.

After all the years of hard work, domestic success and questions about his ability to succeed in white-ball cricket, Auqib has finally arrived.

And he should be happy with what he did today. After all, it’s not every day you quench your thirst for a first international goal.

– The end