Former Indian all-rounder and commentator Irfan Pathan has a piece of advice for the Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi after he went wicketless in the first ODI of the five-game series against New Zealand.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan advised Nabi to hit the white ball a little harder to get more purchase from the surface. Importantly, Nabi achieved a lot of success in the domestic red-ball format, while he made his national debut in white-ball cricket.
“I have already conveyed my message to Auqib Nabi, but one piece of advice is that when he plays red-ball cricket, he kisses the ball onto the pitch. However, when he plays ODI or white-ball cricket, he will have to hit the ball a little harder into the pitch. The pace will remain the same; only the mindset will change. When he starts hitting the ball into the pitch, he will get more purchase, and his release point will also come down. That will benefit him more,” Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
“So, hopefully, he gets more opportunities going forward and makes the most of them, something he hasn’t done with the opportunities he has received so far. Hopefully, he gets more chances in white-ball cricket because these opportunities don’t come around very often. He is undoubtedly a skilful bowler. Just a little tweak will make his job easier,” he added.
Further, Pathan asserted that Team India would most likely go with the same winning combination in the second ODI, adding that Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj are decent options to bat at No. 8 and No.9.
“Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj are playing at No. 8 and No. 9, so we might see the same combination in the upcoming matches, especially since Nitish Kumar Reddy is no longer part of the squad. The Indian team played with that combination, and that could also be one of the reasons why Mohammed Siraj did not get an opportunity,” he concluded.
