Aqib Dar Nabi Emerges as a Potential Backup for Bumrah

Aqib Dar Nabi’s numbers tell the story of a bowler built on consistency. He has taken 104 wickets across the last two domestic seasons, while his overall first-class record stands at 162 wickets in 43 matches at an impressive average of 18.63. In the 2025 Duleep Trophy, he produced one of the most remarkable spells in recent Indian domestic cricket by claiming four wickets in four consecutive deliveries against East Zone, becoming only the fifth Indian bowler to achieve the feat in first-class cricket.

Despite such performances, the IPL remained out of reach for a long time. That finally changed when Delhi Capitals signed him for the 2026 season, giving the 29-year-old pacer his first major breakthrough on the franchise stage.

Nabi further strengthened his case during India A’s recent tour of Sri Lanka, where he picked up six wickets in two matches and caught the attention of the national selectors. Soon came the call he had been waiting for. Jasprit Bumrah, who suffered a knee injury during the ODI series against England in Cardiff, failed to recover in time and was ruled out of India’s Test squad for the Sri Lanka tour. Nabi was chosen as his replacement.

He is now the third cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir, after Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik, to earn a call-up to the senior Indian team. More significantly, he is the first player from the region to be selected in a red-ball squad. If he makes his debut in Galle, he will become the first Test cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir.

From the narrow lanes of Kashmir to the brink of Test cricket, Nabi’s journey has been anything but ordinary. India will begin the two-Test series in Galle on August 15, with the second Test scheduled for August 23 in Colombo. Before that, the team will play a three-day warm-up match in Colombo on August 7. Although he has entered the squad as Bumrah’s replacement, Aqib Dar Nabi now has the opportunity to build a story and an identity that are entirely his own.