New Delhi: When the auctioneer announced his name, Auqib Nabi was seated with his family at his Baramulla home. True to his reserved nature, he hadn’t told his friends or relatives that he was home because he knew the reaction would be emotional and chaotic.
Delhi Capitals eventually acquired him for a whopping ₹8.4 crore. As guests poured in to congratulate his family, he locked himself in the bedroom. He watched from the window, emotional, as his loved ones danced and celebrated.
Nabi, one of the most talked-about names this season, will make his IPL debut after an incredible Ranji season with Jammu & Kashmir where he picked up 60 wickets. After featuring as a net bowler with Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders for the last few seasons, he is expected to be a key member of the Delhi Capitals set-up and is aware of the expectations, even as the level upgrades.
“There is definitely less margin for error in the IPL,” Nabi told reporters in a virtual interaction. “Domestic cricket is challenging but here, you cannot get away with mistakes. You have to work upon them. The fewer the mistakes, the better it is.”
Nabi was credited as being the chief architect in J&K’s historic Ranji win and with DC, he has his eyes set on taking them where they have never gone – winning their first ever IPL title.
“My strength is my ability to swing with the new ball. In the back end, you need to be able to bowl yorkers and slower deliveries so that is what I am working on,” he said. “I won’t move too further away from my strengths and will keep things simple and hopefully, get DC their first trophy.”
Coach Hemang Badani had already hinted to Nabi during the trials that they were interested in acquiring his services and would go hard for him. He ended up becoming one of the most expensive uncapped players bought in the auction. Nabi is confident of repaying their faith and is currently focusing on getting back to the groove of bowling with the white-ball, having played with the red-ball for over two and a half months.
“It was not about money. I just wanted to play the IPL, it didn’t matter if I was bought for ₹30 lakh.”
Three years ago, when the J&K cricket association brought on a dedicated bowling coach P Krishna Kumar, Nabi got his first glimpse of what professional coaching could do.
Early conversations with DC bowling coach Munaf Patel have been positive and indicated that he must not tweak too many things. A good performance in the IPL could further strengthen his case amongst selectors for a potential India call-up.
“Performance in the IPL is very important because this is a global league now but I believe Test selection is still dependent on domestic performance in red-ball cricket. I have done well on that front,” said Nabi. “I am not thinking too much about whether I will get selected or not but my focus is on what’s in my control.”
“Playing for India is my ultimate goal and winning matches for India will be a dream come true. But the current focus is on the IPL and winning a trophy for my team.”
