‘He’s not too far from Test cricket’ – Irfan Pathan endorses Auqib Nabi after freak Ranji Trophy semi-final performance

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has broken his silence about Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi after the youngster’s impressive performance in the Ranji Trophy semi-final, calling him absolutely special and not far away from India’s Test Cap. Nabi’s match-winning performance guided Jammu and Kashmir into a historic maiden final with a six-wicket win over Bengal in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy.

Pathan, speaking on his YouTube channel, tagged Nabi to a “diesel engine.” He explained that while Nabi may take a little time to get going, once he finds a rhythm, he is unstoppable. Pathan stressed about his ability to bowl eight- and ten-hour spells without fatigue that troubles even quality batters.

“Aqib Nabi was called a diesel engine. Diesel engine because it used to take a little time to start. But once he started, he would not look back. 8-hour spell, 10-hour spell, he used to bowl long spells, and then he would not stop. He would not get tired. This is his ability. He has a straight seam. And because of this, you get to see a lot of late movement. He is defending and outing the batsmen,” Pathan said.

Aqib Nabi is absolutely special: Irfan Pathan

The former India star emphasised that India needs a pool of 7 to 8 fast bowlers ready for red-ball cricket and believes Nabi fits that bracket. 

“And whichever batsman, whether it is about pace or not, but if any ball player defends the batsmen and puts them, that too, high-quality batters, then you can understand that there is something special about him. And Aqib Nabi is absolutely special. This 12-ball player, looking at his growth, looks very good. First of all, Aqib Nabi. Aqib Nabi has taken 55 wickets this season. 55 wickets are amazing. This is wonderful. He is putting in a long spell. He is taking wickets from the new gain. He is taking wickets from the old ball. And he scored 243 runs in batting. It’s not that he can’t bat. I believe he is one of those fast bowlers. And he is ready. The way I see him bowling, I followed him in the semi-finals. He is doing outstanding bowling. And he is bowling regular wickets. I remember when I saw him for the first time in 2018-19, what I used to do, when I used to select the boys in J&K, I used to talk to the local coaches about those boys,” he added.

In the game, the two-time champions, Bengal, hammered 328 in the first innings, thanks to Sudip Kumar Gharami’s 146. However, Nabi’s bowling kept J&K in the contest with figures of 5/87. J&K’s first innings was derailed by Mohammed Shami’s career-best 8/90 and found themselves at 231/8. However, Nabi’s 42 off 54 balls, along with Yudhvir Singh’s 33, stitched a crucial 64-run ninth-wicket stand that dragged J&K to 302, trimming the deficit to just 26 runs.

Following which, Nabi struck with the very first ball of Bengal’s second innings, trapping Sudip Chatterjee lbw. He later removed Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran and returned figures of 4/36, completing a nine-wicket match haul (9/123). Bengal were bundled for just 99 in 25.1 overs, due to brilliant bowling from Nabi and Sunil Kumar. Chasing 126, J&K reached 126/4 to seal a famous six-wicket victory and book their place in the Ranji final for the first time. 

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