Mount Maunganui, Nov 12 (IANS) India pacer Auqib Nabi said the advice he got from Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill was to rely on seam movement rather than swing while bowling with the white-ball in New Zealand, citing that their reasoning was batters at the highest level are good enough to handle the moving ball.
Nabi, 30, has taken two wickets in his four ODIs so far – both coming in India’s rain-affected victory over New Zealand in Wellington. Before that, he warmed up for the series with figures of 3-69 and 3-28 for India A against New Zealand A in Lincoln.
“Actually, this is my first time bowling in New Zealand. So it’s a little different here. You have to depend more on the seam movement because the top level batsmen can play the swing. So that was their feedback. If you do a scrambled seam ball or hit the deck, there is a chance to get more wickets here,” Nabi said in the pre-match press conference on the eve of the fourth ODI, with India 2-0 up after the third match was lost to rain in Hamilton.
In September, Nabi fulfilled a dream by making his debut for India in the second ODI against the West Indies in Guwahati, but on a flat pitch, he was smashed for 84 runs without taking a wicket. In New Zealand, where pitches have been familiar, Nabi said conditions in New Zealand were not very different from what he is used to at home in Jammu & Kashmir.
“I think it’s similar in terms of weather because we have similar weather there as well. It’s just that the opposition is a little different. This is an international level, that is a domestic level. For the rest, you get similar kinds of wickets.”
Nabi said the strong standard of domestic cricket grind helped him make the step up at the international level. “Yes, there was a lot of benefit because our domestic level is very high. So if you do well there, you will usually do well here as well. So there was a lot of benefit from it.”
Not having express pace, Nabi said, would not make him doubt his strengths. “Obviously, if you have pace, then it’s very good. But my skill, I back it. I have done well there. Here, I have come on skill. Obviously, if there is pace, then it is a plus factor. But I back my skill. What I have done well domestically will be useful here as well.”
He said discipline was essential, whatever the nature of the pitch is. “Pressure, as in, whatever wicket you are, you have to bowl a good ball, whether it’s a helpful surface or a flat wicket. Your motive is to bowl the ball in good areas. Hopefully, when there is an advantage from the wicket, you have to put a lot of attention in that as well because you can get hit for runs on that as well, if you are not disciplined.”
He added that the pacers regularly share notes, especially on how to bowl on the drop-in pitches used in New Zealand. “Yes, we bowlers talk to each other about how to bowl on which wicket. Because there are a lot of drop-in wickets here, Arshdeep or Anshul or any senior bowler, we talk to each other about which balls can be bowled here on the wickets. So we talk to each other.”
Nabi admitted that his white-ball call-up had caught him by surprise. “My record is good. I have played white-ball for J&K as well. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting a call in white-ball. I was expecting a call in red-ball (which came via the series against Sri Lanka in August). Nonetheless, it’s a good opportunity for me to show my skills.”
Nabi called playing for India the realisation of a dream and said the ongoing series was a platform for newcomers to present their case for 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup spots. “Yes, of course I am very happy to represent my country. It has always been my dream. So yes, it’s a good opportunity for all the newcomers to show their talent and make their case for the World Cup.”
He also had a message for young cricketers from regions with limited infrastructure aspiring to play for India. “Of course, it’s a big thing to play for India. Anyone who starts playing cricket from any region has the same motive and goal – to play for their country. It was the same for me.
“Anyone who talks to me that they don’t have facilities, I tell them that no matter how limited your facilities are, you have to work hard for it. The only thing a player has to do is work hard. Everything else falls into place. I tell them to work hard, no matter what.”
Nabi will remain with the squad for the two-match Test series, which starts on November 19, and felt that experience would be valuable. “It’s good for all of us. We will get more experience on how to play red-ball games. It’s a good experience to stay with the team. We will learn a lot.”
–IANS
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