Auqib Nabi Dar’s omission from India’s squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan sparked widespread criticism. Days later, however, the Indian team management summoned him to Mullanpur, the venue for the match starting later this week, though not as an official member of the squad.
According to a PTI report on Tuesday, the Jammu and Kashmir pacer was included in a seven-member bowling contingent that arrived at the PCA Stadium in Tira as net bowlers. The move was aimed at ensuring adequate match preparation for India’s batters, with frontline quicks Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna unlikely to bowl at full intensity during training after a demanding IPL campaign and amid extreme weather conditions.
“Yes, Auqib Nabi has been asked to join the India nets. It is not just Auqib but six others who have also been called. Due to the extreme weather conditions, the two premier fast bowlers, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, can’t go flat out in the nets after a gruelling run of games and travel. The batters would need adequate practice,” a BCCI source privy to the development told PTI.
After a record-breaking Ranji Trophy season, where he claimed 60 wickets and helped Jammu and Kashmir win their maiden title, Nabi appeared a certainty for a Test call-up. In fact, across the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, he has taken 104 wickets in 18 matches at an outstanding average of 13.14.
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Yet, when the selectors went looking for fast-bowling depth with Jasprit Bumrah rested for the Afghanistan Test beginning on June 6, Nabi was overlooked. Punjab seamer Gurnoor Brar was preferred instead.
Explaining the decision, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had said: “Someone who has done well over the last two seasons, there’s always a chat around that, but you don’t get a lot of seamers in when you play in India.”
The explanation raised eyebrows because Brar, despite taking 52 wickets in 18 first-class matches since his debut in 2022, was seen as a less accomplished red-ball bowler. What seemingly worked in his favour was his physical attributes. Standing at 6ft 5in, Brar is capable of consistently bowling in the 145 kmph range, whereas Nabi generally operates between 125 and 135 kmph.
The rationale did not sit well with former India captain and ex-selection committee chairman Dilip Vengsarkar, who questioned the value of the Ranji Trophy if outstanding performances in the competition were not rewarded.
The PTI report added that Nabi remains outside the official 15-member squad but is among the stand-by options. Siraj, Krishna and Brar are the three specialist pacers in the squad, and Nabi will only be drafted in if one of them suffers an injury concern.
India will hold their first training session on Tuesday afternoon. However, seven members of the Gujarat Titans contingent — captain Shubman Gill, B Sai Sudharsan, Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Manav Suthar and Washington Sundar — will miss the session after featuring in the IPL 2026 final in Ahmedabad on Sunday.