Auqib Nabi's Calm Demeanor Fuels J&K's Historic Ranji Trophy Final Run

When J&K take the field for the title clash in Hubbali on Tuesday, all eyes will again be on Nabi to conjure magic yet again with the red cherry. In this season, Nabi has picked 55 wickets from nine matches - the second-highest tally for a bowler - at a stunning average of 12.72. Those numbers border on the extraordinary for Nabi and bowling coach P. Krishnakumar recalled how the pacer, who is of shy nature, became a force to reckon with.

"If you look at his record, he has got 199 wickets in 40 games. I have been with him for the last three years and he has taken 99 wickets in the last two seasons. In this season, he's taken 50-plus wickets so far and that shows his skill level has gone to a different level now because he knows how to move the ball, bowl on different pitches and against different batters. So it's not a one-day process - it took almost one year to develop it and it began in the first year when I came into the Jammu & Kashmir team," said Krishnakumar in an exclusive conversation with IANS from Hubbali.

A lifelong admirer of Dale Steyn, Nabi debuted in the Ranji Trophy in 2020, but it is in the last two seasons that he's become a rage with the domestic cricket followers through his inswing and outswing skills. His bowling action, Krishnakumar says, is the bedrock of everything.

"You see, he has a very, very good action. The reason why the ball lands regularly on the same spot is because you are releasing the ball from the same spot and that is very, very important. So here, if you look at it biomechanically, if you ask me as a coach, he has got a very beautiful action which is very close to being a very correct one.

"If you compare and look at it from a biomechanical perspective, his action is perfect. So that helps him to release the ball at the same time again and again from the same place and he repeats that action again and again and that is why he is so accurate. With the swing and seam he has, it becomes very difficult for the batters to get runs against Auqib."

The smoothness in bowling action and accuracy with the ball did not arrive overnight, as Krishnakumar described a gruelling first year of Nabi's transformation. "The first year of me being with him, it was all about the process and the result started to come after that and he's bearing the fruits of it.

"So that is the thing and he worked very hard in that one year. He bowled a thousand balls in the first year to develop his skills, master his wrist position, and his backspin. There were a lot of things in bowling which I had spoken to him in that first year and it took almost one year to change him," he said.

If any single performance crystallised Nabi's standing this season, it was the semi-final against Bengal in Kalyani - a match that pitted him directly against India pacer Mohammed Shami in a contest of the highest order. Shami seized the first innings with an eight-wicket haul to hand Bengal the lead.

Nabi responded with nine wickets across the match, including a second-innings four-for that bundled Bengal out for 99, leaving J&K a modest target of 126 that they chased down comfortably. He also made 42 with the bat at a critical juncture, as J&K made 302 in the first innings.

It was not his only standout moment of the campaign. Against Rajasthan, Nabi picked career-best figures of 7-24, and at one point claimed five wickets for just five runs. He then contributed a half-century to help J&K through a precarious batting position in the same game. Against Delhi, Nabi had another Player of the Match performance to give J&K its first-ever win over the traditional heavyweights.

Those performances, along with 44 wickets last season and taking a hat-trick in Duleep Trophy, have made Nabi stand head and shoulders above everyone. "Auqib has been fantastic because taking 99 wickets in the last two seasons is unbelievable. It doesn't happen often on Indian wickets - I can understand if it's a fast wicket or a helping wicket, it can happen.

"But on placid wickets, it's very, very difficult to do and that shows the quality and skill of the bowler. I am sure that he will definitely get a nod in some upcoming Test series," said Krishnakumar.

Krishnakumar, who previously worked as a bowling coach at the NCA (now the BCCI Centre of Excellence) is direct on getting Nabi into the national set-up as quickly as possible. "As a coach, I feel that he should be given a chance when he is performing, rather than waiting for abhi aur dekhna hai (we have to see more of him). Taking almost 100 wickets in two years - what do you want as a player? Wherever he has played, Ranji Trophy or Duleep Trophy, he has performed, no?

"So I think this is the right time when a player is performing, you should give him a chance. What happens is if he plays for India and suppose, then, fingers crossed, if he doesn't perform, at least you know where Nabi has to improve. You have to give a chance and that is very important as then why are you organizing all these tournaments?

"Basically, these are all matches to unearth who can go into the Indian team. If somebody is performing there, I think they should definitely get into the team. Plus, we also don't have enough fast bowling backup also, na? So if you are getting someone, then try him, no? We have only two bowlers (Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj), if you look at this thing.

"Other bowlers are one-format bowlers like Harshit Rana. Apart from him, there is Arshdeep. He is also considered as a white ball bowler, but my view is again different because Arshdeep was with me in the Duleep Trophy. So he is one bowler who can play Tests definitely and he has that ability."

For now, all the attention is on the Ranji Trophy final, where Nabi will be on top of his bowling mark against Karnataka's formidable batting line-up featuring India internationals KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Karun Nair and Mayank Agarwal alongside Smaran Ravichandran.

But Krishnakumar said the grand occasion is unlikely to alter Nabi's demeanour by a single degree. "The best part about Nabi is, he's very calm in his mind and that has really helped him. He's almost the same every time in a game - if he gets thrashed for some runs, he's same. If he takes a six-wicket haul, he's still the same and that is very important. He has got a very calm head and it is easy for me as a coach to guide him," he said.

For a young man from Baramulla who trained without a proper ground, shoes and coaches around, reaching the Ranji Trophy final is already a remarkable chapter in itself. But taking the wickets needed to achieve glory for his state (and pave the way for getting into the national team) is what Nabi will have on top of his mind when he runs in to bowl in Hubbali this week.

- IANS