Auqib Nabi finally got his long-awaited India debut after the Jammu and Kashmir pacer was named in the playing XI against West Indies in the second ODI in Guwahati on Wednesday. Nabi, thus replaced all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who looked clueless in the first game in Thiruvananthapuram, in Kerala.
Nabi has been on radar for a long time, since his exploits with the ball in the Ranji Trophy. The Jammu and Kashmir pacer was in the Indian squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka last month but didn’t get a game. With no , was included for the ODI series.
“We’ve got one change – Auqib Nabi makes his debut in place of Nitish,” Indian captain Shubman said when asked about the changes in his playing XI. For West Indies, the visitors made as many as four changes, including opener Justin Greaves, who had scored a hundred in the first ODI.
For West Indies, Greaves, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie and Jewel Andrew made way for Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Vitel Lawes and Shamar Joseph. India are leading the series 1-0.
Born in Baramulla, Nabi has been representing his state at the national level for a decade, with consistent performances. A medium-fast bowler and a handy batter down the order, Nabi thus became the third from the region after Parvez Rasool and to wear the blue jersey.
Nabi made his first-class debut for Jammu and Kashmir in the 2019–20 Ranji Trophy, claiming a 5/38 on his debut. Since then, Nabi made his performances count and play in the U19 Cooch Behar Trophy, U23 CK Nayudu Trophy, and elite competitions like Vijay Hazare Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and the Ranji Trophy.
He grabbed the spotlight, when he took 100-plus wickets in two consecutive Ranji Trophy seasons. He took 43 wickets in the 2024-25 season, surpassing the previous record of 38 wickets held by former Jammu and Kashmir captain Parvez Rasool in the 2016-17 season.
In the Ranji Trophy 2025-26, Nabi finished with 60 wickets, thereby playing a huge role in Jammu and Kashmir’s triumph. Following his heroics, Nabi represented India A and was bought by Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, for a staggering ₹8.40 crore.
West Indies: John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope(w/c), Amir Jangoo, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Keemo Paul, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales, Vitel Lawes
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul(w), Naman Dhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna
