Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi says he was motivated to take up fast bowling by former South African speedster Dale Steyn’s ability to swing the ball at a high speed.
Nabi, who was instrumental in J&K’s first Ranji Trophy victory this year, is currently waiting to make his Indian Premier League debut at the Delhi Capitals’ camp.
“I used to watch Dale Steyn a lot when I was young. The way he swung the ball at such high pace inspired me to become a fast bowler and hopefully, play for India one day. I used to get scolded a lot by my father for constantly playing cricket because I didn’t have his support. He wanted me to become a doctor,” PTI quoted Nabi telling ‘JioHotstar’.
“When Irfan bhai joined as mentor of Jammu and Kashmir, I was in the Under-23 team and my performances there got his attention. He helped me make my debut for the Jammu and Kashmir senior team. He used to guide me a lot by giving me tips and was very helpful,” Nabi said.
According to Pathan, Nabi was one of the key bowlers in the scheme, which aimed to create a large pool of pacers for J&K.
“I saw Auqib Nabi for the first time in 2018. When I was the mentor of the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team, we wanted to have a strong group of eight to ten fast bowlers,” Pathan said. We wanted to make a big group and Auqib was one of the key fast bowlers. The most important thing was that he used to bowl long spells, especially in Under-23 and junior cricket. He was very impressive. Secondly, his ability to move the ball late was very impressive,” he added.
According to Pathan, Nabi stands out for his ability to swing the ball both ways and extract movement off the seam.
“Many international bowlers have a straight seam, including Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. Auqib Nabi may not have a speed of 140 kmph, but the way he bowls, it quickens off the surface after pitching. Bowling close to the stumps, he can swing it away consistently and also surprise batters with the one that comes in and that is a major strength of Auqib Nabi,” he explained.
