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Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said it is ‘ridiculous’ that Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi was ignored in the Indian squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan next month.
Nabi finished the latest edition of the Ranji Trophy as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker as J&K won their maiden title. In the last two editions, Nabi has taken more than 100 wickets in Ranji Trophy, but he has not even got a place in the India A team.
India’s test team will face Afghanistan
Last week, the BCCI announced India’s squad to face Afghanistan for the one-off Test starting June 6 at the Maharaja Yadvendra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh.
This will be the second ever men’s international match at the ground. The ground hosted a T20 match between India and South Africa in December 2025. Earlier that year, the ground had hosted two women’s ODI matches between India and Australia in September.
Nabi’s shocking exclusion was not the only big news from the team. The major change made in the team is to remove wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant from the vice-captaincy and hand it over to KL Rahul.
Ravindra Jadeja, like Mohammed Shami, was rested from the Test due to workload management and injury concerns.
Left-arm spinners Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey were included in the national team for the first time along with fast bowler Gurnoor Brar.
“Maybe we won’t even get Ranji Trophy” – Sanjay Manjrekar
Manjrekar spoke on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast and shared his views on Auqib Nabi’s non-selection. Manjrekar termed what happened to Nabi as a ‘tremendous insult’ not only to Nabi himself but also to the entire concept of Ranji Trophy.
Manjrekar said, “I loved the old days when there was tremendous injustice. People would come out on the streets with placards and protest.” “Now the outrage is mostly on social media, but it’s a non-selection that I don’t understand.”
Manjrekar also said that Auqib Nabi’s non-selection is even more surprising because Mohammed Shami is missing from the team.
“It’s really ridiculous,” Manjrekar said. “When Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj are not playing, whether they are being rested or for long-term planning, then if such performances are ignored then you will not even have Ranji Trophy.”
Auqib Nabi’s performance in domestic cricket
In the Ranji Trophy won by Jammu and Kashmir, Nabi took 60 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 12.56, including 7 five-wicket hauls.
Auqib Nabi was one of two bowlers to take 10 wickets multiple times in the tournament. In the earlier edition, J&K had made it to the quarter-finals, and Nabi was the second-highest wicket-taker in the entire tournament with 44 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 13.93.
This means that in the last two editions of the Ranji Trophy, Auqib Nabi Dar has taken 104 wickets in 18 matches at a bowling average of 13.14, including 13 five-wicket hauls.
It has been speculated that Nabi’s poor performance in IPL 2026 could be the reason for his non-selection for India. In the IPL this year, Nabi remained wicketless in five matches for Delhi Capitals and gave away runs at an economy of over 11 per over.
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