Last season, Auqib Nabi took 44 wickets for Jammu & Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy, averaging an impressive 13.93. No other seam bowler took more than 35 wickets, and only one player overall—all-time record-breaker Harsh Dubey—picked up more. Nabi’s outstanding performance earned him a place in the North Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy, where he made history by taking four wickets in four balls against East Zone.
This season, Nabi continues to shine with 24 wickets in four games so far—the most by any quick bowler—and his average remains under 14 runs per wicket. Following his stellar campaign, India A has played three red-ball series designed as a finishing school for potential India players. These included the shadow tour of England alongside the Test team, followed by home series against Australia A and South Africa A.
Despite Nabi’s remarkable form, he was not selected among the ten different pacers (five of them with Test caps) chosen across these three India A squads. Searching for his name on social media leads to countless posts urging selectors not to overlook him for India A selection any longer. This demand is reasonable; no one is yet calling for his inclusion in the Test team, but the ‘A’ series is typically a low-stakes platform to test emerging talents.
Has Nabi been treated unfairly, or is he simply a victim of misfortune? To investigate, let’s examine the patterns of specialist fast bowlers’ selections for India A squads over the last ten years (since 2015), during which 32 different players were picked.
### Assessing India A Selections: Two Key Questions
There are two ways to analyze these selections:
1. Did the selected players have outstanding Ranji Trophy records before being chosen?
2. Did all players with exceptional Ranji records receive India A call-ups?
The answer to the second question is no.
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### Selection Hurdle No.1: Weak Opposition
Consider the case of D Sivakumar, an unfamiliar name to many. A member of India’s 2008 U19 World Cup-winning squad (though he did not play), Sivakumar played for Andhra as a seam bowler who could bat a bit. Over five seasons (2012/13 to 2016/17), he took 115 wickets in the Ranji Trophy at an average of 17.6. Despite these numbers, he never got close to the India A team. In 2022, he made his only international appearance, playing a T20I for the USA against the Netherlands.
One explanation lies in the quality of opposition. Andhra mostly competed in Group C of the Ranji Trophy (now equivalent to the Plate Group), effectively the tournament’s second division. As a result, Sivakumar often played against weaker teams, possibly inflating his stats. Although his 44 wickets in 2014/15 helped Andhra gain promotion and his subsequent season was solid, the team dropped back to the lower division after just one year.
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### Selection Hurdle No.2: The Nuances Beyond Numbers
Another example is Odisha’s Basant Mohanty, who took 269 wickets at 19.3 over ten Ranji seasons (2012/13 to 2022/23). In eight of those seasons, he took more than 25 wickets seven times. Yet, his highest recognition was an India A call-up for two 50-over games against New Zealand A in 2013, where he took just three wickets.
Mohanty played mostly against stronger teams in Groups A and B. Despite his consistent record, factors such as bowling style, adaptability to different conditions, and ability to perform across multiple phases influence selection decisions. Selector judgment—though susceptible to subconscious bias—is critical here, often more reliable than raw statistics alone.
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### Numbers Are Not Everything
This ties back to whether all India A call-ups had outstanding domestic records. Most had solid performances but generally not as exceptional as Nabi’s recent numbers.
Did any India A fast bowlers outperform Nabi in domestic cricket? Let’s look at some examples:
– **Mohammed Siraj**: His first India A call-up came after the 2016/17 Ranji season, when he took 41 wickets at 18.92.
– **Rajneesh Gurbani**: Took 39 wickets at 17.12 in 2017/18, earning India A selection for the following summer’s England tour.
– **Arzan Nagwaswalla**: Took 41 wickets at 18.36 before his first India A call-up.
– **Anshul Kamboj**: Had 34 wickets at 13.79 before his India A debut.
These cases prove that an outstanding single season can propel a player into the India A setup. Nabi’s 2024/25 record is undoubtedly on par with these.
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### Why Has Nabi Been Overlooked?
Two key factors stand out.
**Age:** Nabi was 28 (now 29) during his breakthrough season. In contrast, Siraj was 23, Gurbani 25, Nagwaswalla 23, and Kamboj 24 when they had their standout performances.
Every player’s development path differs, but in India’s fiercely competitive environment, selectors may hesitate to invest in players whose breakout seasons come relatively late. Nabi’s earlier years were less impressive: at 23, he took 24 wickets at 18.5 in 2019/20, but over the next three seasons, he managed only 22 wickets at an average above 40. This inconsistency could signal a red flag to selectors, raising concerns about adaptability and longevity.
With pace bowling especially demanding physically, selectors typically prefer younger prospects to develop over time. In the past decade, only two seamers—Sandeep Warrier (2018) and Mukesh Kumar (2022/23)—received maiden India A call-ups after turning 28, both boasting a more extended track record of consistent performance.
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**Lack of IPL Exposure:** Nabi has yet to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), denying selectors the chance to assess him against international-quality opposition, even if in a different format. This exposure often plays a critical role in advancing players’ careers.
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### Selection Hurdle No.3: Attributes Over Records
Selectors often prioritize certain attributes beyond raw statistics. Since 2022, England’s Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes have faced criticism for overemphasizing physical traits over domestic form, a trend mirrored in India.
Players such as Gurnoor Brar, Yash Thakur, Harshit Rana, and Umran Malik have been fast-tracked due to their pace, height, strength, and ability to generate steep bounce. Left-arm pacers like Nagwaswalla, Khaleel Ahmed, Barinder Sran, and Yash Dayal have also earned selections partly due to their bowling style’s strategic value.
In contrast, Nabi’s primary strength is his mastery of swing bowling—moving the ball both ways, with the ability to reverse swing as the ball ages. India international Arshdeep Singh praised Nabi’s skill at the Duleep Trophy, calling him “special” with the ball coming out of his hand “really nicely.”
Yet, genuine swing bowlers in recent India A squads—Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande—were selected at younger ages (23 and 24), giving selectors more time to monitor and develop their skills.
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### The Road Ahead for Nabi
Given the trends over the last decade, Nabi’s chances of earning an India A call-up—even with his exceptional domestic record—appear slim. While it may seem he has little left to prove at the domestic level, other factors beyond performance influence selection.
This, however, does not mean his journey is over. Nabi still aspires to don the India whites, and rightly so. The determination and resilience of professional athletes often defy the odds. There are always exceptions to the rule.
With continued focus, fitness, and perhaps more exposure in higher-profile tournaments like the IPL, Nabi could yet catch the selectors’ eyes and break through.
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*Image credit: Instagram / auqib_nabi*
https://www.wisden.com/series/ranji-trophy-2025-26/cricket-news/68-wickets-at-138-how-india-a-selection-works-and-why-auqib-nabi-hasnt-been-picked-yet
