DC vs MI: Auqib Nabi credits Irfan Pathan for cricketing success
Delhi Capitals fast bowler Auqib Nabi credited former India pacer Irfan Pathan for his cricketing success. Nabi, speaking to JioStar before Delhi’s home game against Mumbai Indians, said that Pathan, when he joined Jammu and Kashmir as mentor in 2018, helped him make his senior debut.
Speaking about his cricketing journey, Nabi revealed that he did not have much support from his family as a kid, and that his father wanted him to become a doctor. Nabi said he got inspired to become a fast bowler by watching Dale Steyn on TV, dreaming that he would play for India one day.
“I used to watch Dale Steyn a lot when I was young. The way he swung the ball at such high pace inspired me to become a fast bowler and hopefully play for India one day,” Nabi told JioHotstar.
“I used to get scolded a lot by my father for constantly playing cricket because I didn’t have his support. He wanted me to become a doctor,” the 29-year-old said.
AUQIB NABI CREDITS IRFAN PATHAN
The fast bowler’s career took a turn when Irfan joined the state team as mentor. Nabi revealed that Pathan played an instrumental role in helping him improve.
“When Irfan bhai joined as mentor of Jammu and Kashmir, I was in the Under-23 team and my performances there got his attention. He helped me make my debut for the Jammu and Kashmir senior team. He used to guide me a lot by giving me tips and was very helpful,” Nabi said.
The former India fast bowler, who now works with the broadcaster as a commentator, said that his idea was to develop a big pool of pacers for J&K and Nabi was one of the main bowlers in that project.
“I saw Auqib Nabi for the first time in 2018. When I was the mentor of the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team, we wanted to have a strong group of eight to ten fast bowlers,” Pathan said.
“We wanted to make a big group and Auqib was one of the key fast bowlers. The most important thing was that he used to bowl long spells, especially in Under-23 and junior cricket. He was very impressive. Secondly, his ability to move the ball late was very impressive,” he added.
Pathan said Nabi’s ability to extract movement off the seam as well as swing the ball both ways makes him stand out.
“Many international bowlers have a straight seam, including Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. Auqib Nabi may not have the pace of 140 kmph, but the way he bowls, it quickens off the surface after pitching,” he explained.
“Bowling close to the stumps, he can swing it away consistently and also surprise batters with the one that comes in, and that is a major strength of Auqib Nabi,” he added.
DC BUY NABI FOR RS 8.40 CR
Auqib Nabi found tremendous success with Jammu and Kashmir’s Ranji Trophy team last season. He was the standout bowler in the tournament, troubling teams consistently with his swing and pace. Nabi picked up five wickets in the final, playing a key role in the summit clash.
His performances throughout the season earned him a massive Rs 8.40 crore bid in the IPL auction from Delhi Capitals. He is also in contention for an India debut this year.
DC, however, did not play Nabi in their first match of the season. Mukesh Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, and T Natarajan led the pace attack in their opener against Lucknow Super Giants.
Nabi is expected to be handed a debut in the next couple of matches.
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