On the day of the auction, Jammu and Kashmir star Auqib Nabi watched from the comfort of his Baramulla room as a sizable crowd celebrated his entry into the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, he claims that playing and winning games for India is the “ultimate goal.”
Nabi had gained notoriety for his red ball exploits long before he and his J&K teammates won the Ranji Trophy. His length, discipline, and unwavering line were crucial to the state’s first victory; he now aspires to emulate these qualities with the Delhi Capitals.
“It was not about money; I wanted to play at least once. Even if I would have got Rs 30 lakhs (base price), I wanted to play in IPL. Obviously, it felt good that DC took me in for such a huge amount,” in a virtual conversation hosted by the Delhi Capitals on Friday, Nabi, who was purchased for Rs 8.40 crore, told reporters.
“I was at home on the auction day as the Vijay Hazare (Trophy) camp was to start on the next day. When my name was announced, a lot of people got emotional as it happened after so many years of hard work. It was everyone’s dream (for me) to play at the next level. I got a little emotional too, seeing my family members emotional,” he said.
Nabi added, “I had not told my friends or the villagers that I was at home. There was a lot of noise. I was locked in a room and I didn’t tell anyone that I was at home. When people started coming in including the media, there was a lot of commotion, I was looking from inside the room. Everyone was happy and dancing. It felt good to see that.”
Following J&K’s victory, former India captain and former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had stated that Nabi was on his path to winning national colors. A successful IPL will be another step in that direction for Nabi.
“It (the IPL) will be very important because, it is global (tournament) and you can watch it everywhere. The competition here is very good. Our selection is only through domestic cricket, if you do well in red-ball (cricket), and I think I have done well in red-ball.
“I am not thinking much about the selection. I am doing what I can. I am not paying much attention to the things that are not in my control. My focus is on IPL and I want to do well,” Nabi added that he hasn’t spoken to the national selectors yet.
“Obviously, playing for India and winning matches for India is my ultimate goal. It will be a dream come true if I play for India, so that is my main focus. (But) right now, I am focusing on IPL. Let’s see what happens in the future,” he said.
Nabi stated that he is confident in his ability to succeed with the white ball as well.
“My strength is to swing the new ball and at the back end all those things that you need in T20 cricket, like yorker or slower ones,” Nabi said.
“I am working with the coaches, but I will also not move away from my strengths, will look to keep things simple and try and help Delhi win the trophy.”
The 29-year-old acknowledged that expectations will put pressure on him.
“Obviously, there will be expectations. But I am focusing on myself. I am not focusing on the outside,” he said.
“I didn’t have a price tag in my mind (before auction). I just wanted to play at this level. I wanted to prove myself that I was good enough for this level. I just want to focus on doing well in the IPL and the opportunities that come my way.”
Nabi hoped that the state’s infrastructure will improve as a result of J&K’s Ranji Trophy victory.
“I think it will have a big impact because earlier it used to be thought that our team could be beaten in 1-2 days. But things have changed now,” he said.
“Earlier, we didn’t have anyone to look up to, or to emulate because results or any trophy weren’t coming. Now the parents are supporting the kids that they have a career and they have won the Ranji Trophy and they are playing in the IPL and (for) India,” Nabi added.
