Agarkar’s team selection committee for India’s one-off Test match against Afghanistan was severely criticized. A number of people felt that they had ignored Aaqib Nabi’s performance. It is important to note that Nabi performed admirably in the Ranji Trophy tournament and was selected as a result. However, BCCI left him out despite the fact that he bagged 60 wickets in just 10 games.
India stuck to their tried-and-tested batting line-up while including fresh bowlers. Aaqib Nabi was not included, and Prasidh Krishna and Gurnur Brar were picked alongside Mohammed Siraj as pacers for all non-World Test Championship games. It has been reported that Aaqib Nabi will now become a part of the Indian Test team for the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan on June 6th.
According to media reports, the BCCI has included Nabi in the Test squad as a backup player. This has been done to give the 29-year-old Nabi direct experience of international cricket. This news comes after we saw another domestic bowler join the team as a net bowler. Sunrisers Hyderabad's Zeeshan Ansari will also bowl to Indian batsmen in the nets to prepare them for the Afghan spinners.
Aaqib Nabi in the 2025/26 domestic season
- Ranji Trophy: 60 wickets in 17 innings
- Vijay Hazare Trophy: 14 wickets at a strike rate of 23
- Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: 15 wickets at an economy of 7.55
As far as Nabi is concerned, it's a wise decision, as the Jammu and Kashmir pacer needed a boost after performing so well in the domestic circuit. Since making his first-class debut in 2020, Nabi has appeared in 41 matches and taken 156 wickets, 104 of which have come in the last two seasons alone.