Former Indian opening batter Wasim Jaffer has reckoned that the Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi is not part of the plans for the ODI World Cup 2027 despite being part of the ODI squad for the home series against the West Indies.
With Jasprit Bumrah part of the Asian Games 2026 squad, the selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, decided to bring in Nabi as a backup pacer. Nabi is one of two uncapped players included in the squad alongside Naman Dhir.
“I don’t think he (Auqib Nabi) will be in the selectors’ thought process for the World Cup at this stage. However, if he gets an opportunity in this series and performs well, he could put his name forward through his performances. That might give the selectors a bit of a headache, but it depends on how many opportunities he gets here and how he performs. At this stage, though, I don’t think he will be in the World Cup plans,” said Jaffer in a video on his YouTube channel.
“I don’t think they would put that much responsibility on him because he specialises in red-ball cricket. I’m not saying he cannot perform well in white-ball cricket, but I think the selectors will probably be looking at Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah. Perhaps Hardik Pandya will also be fit by then,” he added.
Further, Jaffer was surprised by Nabi’s selection despite his mediocre numbers in white-ball cricket, claiming that this call-up should not mean that the player does not get a chance during the forthcoming New Zealand tour.
“I’m a little surprised because Auqib Nabi’s performances in white-ball cricket, particularly in ODIs, haven’t been that impressive. But I hope he hasn’t been given this opportunity in the ODI squad at the expense of his chances of playing in the New Zealand Test series. I hope this isn’t the case with the Indian team, where being selected in any format is a great credit and a huge honour for a player, which goes without saying. However, I hope he doesn’t miss out on the New Zealand Test series,” Jaffer concluded.
