Jammu & Kashmir seemed to have one hand on the Ranji Trophy after bowling Karnataka out for 293 runs in the first innings, to take a mammoth first innings lead of 291 runs. The star of their bowling performance was Auqib Nabi Dar, who claimed 5/54 in 23 unrelenting overs to lead his side’s charge in the summit clash.
The pacer, who now has 60 wickets this season, was praised for his bowling exploits with many stating that he needed to be considered for a place in the national setup.
On Friday, he found another backer in former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who praised J&K and added that Nabi needed to be in the squad for the white-ball tour of England in July.
“J&K has shown the world what effort and intent can do ..They have made that region so proud of them .. tuff environment makes tuff people. Aqib nabi on his way to national colours .. england is the place to start in the summer,” Ganguly wrote on X on Friday.
J&K has shown the world what effort and intent can do ..They have made that region so proud of them .. tuff environment makes tuff people. Aqib nabi on his way to national colours .. england is the place to start in the summer
— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99)
India will tour England for a five-match T20I and three-match ODI series in July, the latter marking the return of batting talismen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli after last playing for India in January.
Nabi will play for in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League, after he was acquired in the auction in December last year for Rs 8.40 crore. The franchise is run by twin owners – GMR group and JSW group – with Ganguly being a part of the latter ownership.
The 53-year-old had his maiden coaching stint earlier this year, when he coached the Pretoria Capitals to a runners-up finish in the SA T20, where they lost to Sunrisers Eastern Cape by six wickets in the final.
Nabi will have the likes of Mitchell Starc among the international stars as company in the fast bowling department, presenting him with an opportunity to learn from one of the game’s greatest modern-day pacers.
