Auqib Nabi was heading to the Centre of Excellence when he received a phone call that changed the course of his career. By then, he had accepted that his wait for an India call-up would continue. The squad for the Sri Lanka Tests had already been announced, and Nabi was on his way to the CoE with the familiar plan of working harder, improving his bowling and waiting for another opportunity.
Then came the unexpected call.
“I was in the airport when I got a call (from one of the selectors). He asked me where I was. I said ‘I am headed to the CoE’. He told me ‘Don’t go there, come to Sri Lanka’.
“At first I couldn't believe it. It was unexpected. Because the squad was already announced. I was heading to the CoE, thinking I would work harder.”
Nabi’s road to his India debut opportunity had been far from easy. The Jammu and Kashmir pacer had spent years building his case in domestic cricket, producing numbers that increasingly made his exclusion from the national setup difficult to overlook.
He picked up 44 wickets during the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season before taking his performances to another level the following year. Nabi claimed 60 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 12.56, helping Jammu and Kashmir secure their first-ever Ranji Trophy title and earning the Player of the Tournament award.
Yet an India call-up remained out of reach.
Even his first IPL season with Delhi Capitals failed to provide the breakthrough he may have expected. Nabi featured in five matches during IPL 2026 but went wicketless, a disappointing return compared with the remarkable numbers he had produced in domestic first-class cricket.
At one point, the wait seemed increasingly difficult to justify. Despite his outstanding Ranji campaign, he was not selected for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, with his omission drawing criticism from former India chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar.
'I KNEW I WOULD GET THE CALL-UP'
Nabi, however, refused to allow the uncertainty over selection to distract him from his cricket.
“Yes, I had expectations. But the mindset of a cricket player should be of performing and that the other people are watching,” Nabi told fellow uncapped player Saransh Jain in a video posted by the BCCI.
That approach also explains why the selector’s phone call came as such a shock. Nabi knew his performances were putting him in contention; he simply had no idea when the opportunity would arrive.
“I knew that I would get the call-up today or tomorrow because when you are doing well for so many years, you are meant to get the returns from the hard work.”
His performances earned him a place in the India A squad for the Sri Lanka tour, where he further strengthened his credentials with a four-wicket haul in the unofficial Test. Despite that, he was not included in the original India Test squad.
The opportunity eventually arrived after Jasprit Bumrah was ruled unavailable for the series due to injury.
When the door finally opened, Nabi was ready. Years of bowling, travelling, waiting and beginning again had given him confidence that he belonged at the highest level.
“So I would bowl with the mindset that my job is to take wickets and perform and the rest is up to the one above. I felt great when my name came up. My family is very happy and I don't think there can be anything greater than this,” Nabi said.
The call came at an airport, just as Nabi was preparing to return to the CoE and continue the wait that had finally come to an end.
