Former Indian opening batter Wasim Jaffer has asserted that the Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi shouldn’t have come in as a replacement player, but he should have been picked in the initial squad instead for the forthcoming two-Test tour of Sri Lanka.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Jaffer was elated to see Nabi get his maiden Test call-up. Notably, Nabi has been picked as Jasprit Bumrah’s replacement for the two-match series, scheduled to start on Saturday, August 15, in Galle.
“It’s a big thing and a very happy moment. And you are absolutely right that after performing so well, he (Auqib Nabi) probably shouldn’t have come in as a replacement in the first place. But better late than never. I’m very happy for him because he deserves to be in the initial squad,” Jaffer said on his YouTube channel.
“When a player performs this well, he should be a first-choice selection. But anyway, congratulations to him for becoming the first player to make it through to the Test team from J&K on the basis of his performance. I hope that if he gets an opportunity, he proves why he has performed so well,” he added.
Furthermore, Jaffer has emphasised that Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna are the frontline bowling options in Bumrah’s absence. Moreover, he reckoned that India would go with two pace options on the turning tracks in Sri Lanka.
“Taking wickets in the Ranji Trophy is not easy in the first place. To play the whole season and then bowl so well in two consecutive seasons is a big achievement. So, I hope he gets an opportunity somewhere. It also shows that bowling at 140 or 145 kmph is not everything. You also need to have skills with the ball and know how to seam and swing it,” he stated.
“I’m sure Siraj will be the first choice. Siraj and Krishna will be the two options, so whether India goes with three seamers or not, I don’t know. I’m not sure what the conditions there will be like. We discussed that Sri Lanka might offer India turning tracks. So, if that happens, perhaps we will go with only two seamers,” he concluded.
