On February 18, Jammu and Kashmir established their first historical achievement by reaching their first Ranji Trophy final match. They won the semi-final match against two-time champions Bengal at the Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani by six wickets. Abdul Samad led the charge with scores of 82 and an unbeaten 30 while Vanshaj Sharma added a crucial unbeaten 43. Auqib Nabi completely controlled the match through his bowling performance which resulted in exceptional match statistics of 9/123.
The Player of the Match award went to Nabi because of his complete performance. In Bengal's first innings, he achieved a five-wicket haul and finished with figures of 5/87. The 29-year-old also chipped in with a valuable 42 runs, strengthening his growing reputation. His consistent performances have now placed him in the spotlight as a potential future pacer for India.
Nabi’s recent heroics also made him the first fast bowler to reach 50 wickets in the current Ranji Trophy season. The national team selection remains open for him although several pacers have better chances to secure spots. He has obtained 55 wickets from nine matches which included 16 innings while maintaining an outstanding average of 12.72. The bowler who has achieved six five-wicket hauls this season holds the record for most five-wicket hauls.
Who is Auqib Nabi?
Full name: Auqib Nabi
Date of Birth: November 4, 1996
Age: 29 years, 106 days
Batting style: Right hand bat
Bowling style: Right arm medium
Playing role: Bowler
Teams: Delhi Capitals, Jammu & Kashmir and North Zone
Auqib Nabi Career Stats:
| FC | 40 | 66 | 5814 | 2813 | 151 | 7/24 | 18.62 | 2.90 |
| List A | 36 | 36 | 1767 | 1533 | 56 | 4/39 | 27.37 | 5.20 |
| T20s | 34 | 34 | 727 | 938 | 43 | 4/16 | 21.81 | 7.74 |
