Colombo, Aug 14:
Amid a prolonged wait for his maiden India Test call-up, Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi never lost faith, continuing to perform with the belief that his chance to represent the country would eventually arrive.
That opportunity finally came when Nabi was drafted into the Indian squad as a replacement for injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, beginning here on Saturday.
Nabi, who played a key role in Jammu and Kashmir’s historic maiden Ranji Trophy title triumph last season, said he always believed that consistently putting in strong performances would eventually earn him a national call-up.
“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 shared by the BCCI.
“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.”
“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 added.
Saransh, who was a member of the Ranji Trophy-winning Madhya Pradesh team in 2021-2022 which beat the mighty Mumbai in the final, said he too kept the belief that his chance would come.
“You have to have patience in Test cricket and if you want to play Test cricket for India, you have to have patience in that too,” the 33-year-old Saransh said.
“I made my debut at Ranji Trophy in 2014-15. It’s been a long journey. There was a lot of hard work and sacrifices. But I had the belief that one day, I will definitely play for India and for this achievement my family has a big role to play in it.”
“My dad, who is a Ranji Trophy player, told me the same thing. You just have to have patience, things will automatically come to you,” he added.
Both Nabi and Saransh also recalled the moments they learnt about their India call-ups.
“When I got the call, I was driving to the temple. I saw the call and messages in between. That’s when I got to know that I was selected,” Saransh said.
Nabi added, “I was at the airport. We had to go to a camp in CoE and I was about to board a flight to Bangalore.”
“I got a call asking where I was. I told them that I was going to Bangalore and I was at the airport. They told me that I didn’t have to go there; I had to come to Sri Lanka and that I was selected.”
“At first, I couldn’t believe it. It was unexpected because the squad was already out. I was ready to work hard. I was going to the camp,” Nabi added.
Saransh said the experience of playing with the Indian players in domestic cricket helped him to mix-up with the others well.
“When I joined the team, I didn’t feel any big difference as 70-80 per cent of the players I have played cricket with, and I got mixed up quickly with them,” he said.