Auqib Nabi, Dogra regiment’s biggest weapon

From the dusty playfields of Sheeri village in Baramulla to the pinnacle of domestic cricket, Auqib Nabi’s journey is a testament to unyielding resolve. Refusing to let circumstances dictate his future, the pacer, now known as the ‘Baramulla Express’, honed his skills through relentless dedication and rose through the ranks to deliver the ultimate glory to his native state, Jammu and Kashmir.

To say that the 29-year-old has played a vital role in Jammu and Kashmir’s maiden Ranji Trophy title triumph would be an understatement. “He has been part of one dream, there is one more to go — the dream to play for the country,” Nabi’s father, Ghulam Nabi Dar, told PTI over the phone after the landmark triumph was achieved in faraway Hubballi, against eight-time champions Karnataka on Saturday.

Jammu and Kashmir won the title on the basis of their massive first-innings lead of 291 runs in the summit showdown.

Nabi emerged as the standout performer of the domestic season with 60 wickets, earning widespread praise from legends like Sourav Ganguly, who backed him for a national call-up. His wickets came at a miserly average of less than 12 runs per wicket. Nabi’s father said that while luck played its role, his son worked hard to achieve his goals. “The only thing he did not do was to give up. He studied at a local school in Sheeri and would spend a lot of time playing in dusty, uneven playfield here,” Dar, a school teacher, said.

Nabi moved to nearby Baramulla town for high school, which provided him a foundation to work on his basic skills. But it was only after he went to Amar Singh College in Srinagar for undergraduate studies that he found proper turf pitches to practice on. Dar said, “Auqib attended the trials three times and failed. But he did not give up and attended a trial for the fourth time and was selected.”

Nabi put up a stellar show in the knockout stages of the Ranji Trophy, where he claimed 26 wickets in three matches, including a 12-for in the quarterfinal against Madhya Pradesh and a nine-for against Bengal in the semis. In the final too, he picked up a five-for in Karnataka’s first innings, bagging the key wickets of KL Rahul and Karun Nair.

Nabi has been a consistent performer over the past few years as he was the second leading wicket-taker in the 2024-25 season, bagging 44 scalps at an excellent average of just under 14.

Playing for North Zone in the Duleep Trophy, Nabi got four wickets straight in as many deliveries.

He has been a handy lower-order batsman as well, making 55 — his highest first-class score — against Rajasthan as Jammu and Kashmir won the match by an innings. For a good measure, Nabi also claimed 10 wickets in that game.

His hardwork has been partly rewarded already as he was picked up for Rs 8.40 crore by the Delhi Capitals during the last IPL auctions.