Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has come out swinging against the national selection committee over the continued exclusion of Jammu and Kashmir
fast bowler Auqib Nabi from the Test squad. Despite a spectacular domestic season and solid performances for India A, the right-arm seamer was overlooked for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.
Nabi previously missed out on a spot in the one-off Test against Afghanistan earlier this year, although he did travel with the senior squad as a net bowler.
Pathan argued that the Afghanistan match, which was not part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, was the perfect platform to hand Nabi his debut. Instead, the management opted to field established pacer Mohammed Siraj.
Speaking to Sportstar, Pathan expressed his bafflement over the decision-making process.
"I honestly don't have any logical answer for Nabi not being picked," Pathan said.
"I didn't understand the selection process. Mohammad Siraj is your go-to bowler. When (Jasprit) Bumrah is not there, Siraj becomes your No. 1 bowler. So, what was the need to play against Afghanistan in a Test that wasn't even part of the World Test Championship. "
He further added, "If domestic performances matter, why didn't you reward Auqib? That was the best opportunity to play him and test him at that level. "
A Standout Domestic Season Ignored
Nabi's exploits over the last year have been hard to ignore. He played a pivotal role in leading Jammu and Kashmir to a historic Ranji Trophy title, producing fiery spells all throughout the tournament till the final.
The pacer then carried his domestic form into the recent India A tour of Sri Lanka, claiming six wickets across two four-day matches. Despite having success at the domestic and 'A' team levels, he is yet to get the senior Test call-up.
Pathan stressed on the fact that raw pace isn't the only metric for success and that Nabi has proven his ability to trouble top-tier batters.
"People talk about pace, but you've got to see how a bowler is beating the bat. Is he troubling the best batters in domestic cricket? He has done that consistently. Even in the final of the Ranji Trophy, he troubled senior batters like K.L. Rahul and everyone saw that. So, his performances deserved a reward," Pathan stated.
The former pacer also highlighted the physical realities of fast bowling, warning the selectors that they risk wasting Nabi's prime years.
"The more you delay a fast bowler's peak, the more you are going to lose out on him. Fast bowlers are at their peak between 27 and 32. You don't want to miss that window, especially when someone is in rhythm," he noted.
The Saransh Jain Comparison
To put his point on inconsistency in selection logic, Pathan brought up the inclusion of 33-year-old off-spinner Saransh Jain. While Pathan welcomed Jain's selection as a positive step for domestic stalwarts, he questioned why Nabi didn't benefit from the exact same criteria.
"What signal are we sending to domestic cricketers? Saransh Jain getting picked on the back of domestic performances is fantastic. It tells domestic cricketers that performances will be rewarded. He's 33 and got rewarded for four or five years of consistent performances," Pathan explained.
"But then, what's wrong with Auqib? He has performed consistently too, and as a fast bowler there are even more opportunities because pacers get injured more often, so a back-up always helps," he concluded.
