Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Friday praised Jammu and Kashmir for their performance against Karnataka in their first-ever Ranji Trophy final, citing bowler Auqib Nabi as a player deserving of playing for his nation.
This Ranji season, Nabi has already claimed 60 wickets, including 5/54 against Karnataka in the opening innings of the championship final. Following a huge 584 in Hubballi, Nabi’s exploits placed J&K in charge as they bowled out the eight-time champions Karnataka for 293 in 93.3 overs.
“J&K has shown the world what effort and intent can do ..They have made that region so proud of them .. tuff environment makes tuff people,” Ganguly wrote on ‘X’.
“Aqib nabi on his way to national colours .. england is the place to start in the summer,” (sic) he added, tagging the BCCI, senior men’s selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar, and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia.
Ganguly thinks the moment is right for Auqib to join the Indian team since the country is scheduled to tour England for a white-ball series in July 2026.
In the 92-year history of the Ranji Trophy, Auqib is only the third bowler to take 60 wickets in a season. Additionally, he also became the Ranji Trophy 2025–2026 season’s top wicket-taker.
Nabi’s most recent five-wicket haul was his seventh of the season and his fifteenth overall. The bowler has been outstanding lately, and the Delhi Capitals selected him for Rs 8.40 crore in the auction, earning him an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract.
The Indian team is scheduled to tour New Zealand for a multi-format series later this year, and will also visit Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series. Nabi has undoubtedly put himself forward for a Test call-up with such performances.
