Aquib Nabi and team of Jammu and Kashmir Ranji cricket celebrate after taking wicket of Smaran Ravichandran wicket of Karnataka at the Ranji Trophy finals at Rajnagar KSCA cricket stadium at Hubali on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: There was a time when Auqib Nabi didn’t own a pair of bowling spikes.For his first U-19 trial in Jammu & Kashmir, the fast bowler from Baramulla borrowed a pair from a friend. When he eventually earned selection, fate threw up another twist. The friend who had lent him the spikes didn’t make the squad. Auqib borrowed another pair from him and played his entire first U-19 tournament in borrowed shoes.Today, Auqib is making a name for himself with a skill that many fast bowlers spend years trying to master: the ability to swing the ball both ways. He has now earned his maiden India call-up, with the 29-year-old seamer from Jammu & Kashmir replacing the injured Jasprit Bumrah in India’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.Nabi has picked up 104 wickets over the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, virtually breaking the selection door down with his performances. He was also part of the India A squad that toured Sri Lanka recently, where he claimed six wickets in two First Class matches.

Aquib Nabi and team of Jammu and Kashmir Ranji cricket celebrate after taking wicket of K L Rahul wicket of Karnataka at the Ranji Trophy finals at Rajnagar KSCA cricket stadium at Hubali on Thursday. (Syed Asif)

Yet, the road to the Indian dressing room wasn’t built in fancy academies or elite fast-bowling programmes. It was shaped by a long journey, borrowed equipment and an obsession with learning.“My parents are government school teachers. Initially, they wanted me to focus on studies, which was natural. Cricket wasn’t something we had planned. A friend told me about the Under-19 trials. Until then, I didn’t even know they were happening,” Auqib had told reporters after picking up a five-wicket haul on the opening day of the Delhi vs Jammu & Kashmir Ranji Trophy match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in November 2025.Like countless youngsters in Kashmir, his cricketing education began with tennis-ball matches. The transition to leather-ball cricket, however, brought a different challenge.

“The most basic thing a fast bowler needs is a turf wicket,” he had said. “Baramulla had turf, but you couldn’t bowl there wearing spikes. So I had to travel to Srinagar to practice.”The one-and-a-half-hour journey from Baramulla to Srinagar became part of his routine. Hours on the road simply to bowl a few overs on a proper surface. For many aspiring cricketers, inadequate facilities become a convenient excuse. Auqib never allowed himself that luxury.“If you want to play for India, these things cannot become excuses. If you want it badly enough, you have to do it.”That philosophy continues to define him.The philosophy kept motivating him day in and day out, but it was his obsession with learning that made him the bowler he is today.“When he first joined the J&K team for the Buchi Babu Trophy in Salem in 2023, he could only bowl the outswinger. But he wanted to bowl both ways. So I started working on his inswing,” P. Krishnakumar, Jammu & Kashmir’s bowling coach, told TimesofIndia.com.“He has a great wrist position, which is one of his biggest strengths,” he said.

There were a few biomechanical issues as well. I addressed them and rectified them. From the second year, the results started coming. He learnt how to use the ball, how to bowl in the first, second and third sessions. He started identifying batters’ weaknesses. He worked on his preparation. Last season he came all guns blazing and we won the Ranji Trophy,

P Krishnakumar | J&K bowling coach

There were no shortcuts, and Nabi knew it. He started working on his inswing with Krishnakumar in the nets, and the results began to show in the 2024-25 season.“There were a few biomechanical issues as well. I addressed them and rectified them. From the second year, the results started coming. He learnt how to use the ball, how to bowl in the first, second and third sessions. He started identifying batters’ weaknesses. He worked on his preparation. Last season he came all guns blazing and we won the Ranji Trophy,” he said.

Aquib Nabi, Prince Yadav among seven net bowlers for one-off Test against Afghanistan

The inswing eventually became his biggest weapon. Later, he added the scrambled seam delivery to his arsenal, making himself a far more complete bowler than the one Krishnakumar first saw in Salem.Interestingly, Auqib says the biggest transformation wasn’t technical.“I have changed my mindset more than anything else. Earlier, I used to think only about taking wickets. Now I just focus on bowling in good areas. Whether the ball swings in or away, my job is to keep hitting the right length,” he said.

I’d like to open an academy. There’s absolutely nothing here. When I started playing, I had to go to Bengaluru for training and play lower-division matches there. I want to find and train more Auqib Nabis from Baramulla

Aquib Nabi

That change has also altered how he views difficult bowling conditions. Flat Indian pitches often test the patience of fast bowlers. Rather than searching for magic deliveries, Auqib has learned to trust the basics.“Whether it’s the new ball or the old ball, your basics have to stay strong. You have to keep bowling in good areas.”His domestic performances did not go unnoticed. He earned an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract worth Rs 8.40 crore with the Delhi Capitals. However, his first IPL season did not go according to plan as he failed to take a single wicket in five matches.

Aquib Nabi has earned his maiden India call-up for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka (BCCI)

But he already knows how he wants to use the money he earned from the IPL. He plans to build an academy in Baramulla.“I’d like to open an academy,” Nabi had earlier told TimesofIndia.com. “There’s absolutely nothing here. When I started playing, I had to go to Bengaluru for training and play lower-division matches there. I want to find and train more Auqib Nabis from Baramulla.”Now, with an India call-up, Nabi has added another feather to his cap.Borrowed spikes taught him gratitude. Long journeys taught him perseverance. His obsession with learning the inswing taught him that improvement rarely comes overnight. Together, they have shaped a fast bowler who believes the path to bigger dreams isn’t built on excuses or shortcuts, but on showing up every day and bowling one good ball after another.