Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
“There was a time I didn’t favour my son playing cricket full-time. I saw no future for him in it,” reveals Ghulam Nabi Dar, the father of Auqib Nabi, the young player from Kashmir who has made it to the Indian squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka.
Dar, a government school teacher, changed his mind after gaining reassurance from the feats of former Team India member Parvez Rasool, who in 2014 became the first Kashmiri cricketer to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
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“When Parvez Rasool was selected for IPL, our hopes were kindled,” says Dar.
Auqib didn’t disappoint his father. He is the first player from Kashmir to get an India Test call-up. The right-arm pacer is the replacement for the injured Jasprit Bumrah. Sheeri, Auqib’s native village in north Kashmir, nestled between forests and the Jhelum river along the Baramulla-Uri national highway, has been celebrating ever since.
The 29-year-old Auqib is also only the third from Jammu and Kashmir to be named in the national squad, after Rasool and Umran Malik. That has been a long journey, from the time he developed interest in cricket in class 8, became a fan of Rasool and worked hard on his game despite his family’s meagre resources.
Dar facilitated Aquib’s regular travels to Srinagar for cricket training. “On my insistence, Auqib also appeared twice for the MBBS entrance test. But God had other plans for him. After completing school, he took admission in BSc at the Amar Singh College in Srinagar,” says Dar.
From there on, the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) came into the picture. After college classes, Aquib would regularly practise at the JKCA pitches in Srinagar, says Dar, thanking his son’s coaches and mentors for their support.
Auqib gained prominence with a stupendous performance in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy, in which he took 60 wickets to help the Jammu and Kashmir team clinch the tournament title for the first time. He immediately caught the attention of the national selectors. In the previous Ranji Trophy season (2024-25), Aquib had emerged as the leading pacer, with a 44-wicket haul.
“Aquib’s selection to the Test squad is a proud moment for any parent and a dream come true for him. He has worked hard to earn his spot,” says Dar, describing the eldest of his three children as a “simple, silent and hardworking” young man. Auqib’s younger brother and sister are pursuing post-graduation from different universities.
Auqib is among young cricketers from Kashmir who have struggled with limited sports infrastructure but neither given up their dreams nor their game. His inspiration and mentor Rasool, a native of Bijbehara in south Kashmir, was the first from the Kashmir Valley to make it to the national level. Rasikh Salam Dar emerged as another rising star following his impressive performance in IPL 2026, particularly the decisive contribution to Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title win.
Dar’s neighbour Zahoor Ahmad, who has watched Auqib grow up, recalls how as a boy he would play all by himself with a ball in his compound. “He had fire in the belly from a young age. He would hang the ball on a rope and practise with it,” says Ahmad. “We are eager to see him perform in Sri Lanka.” So is Kashmir.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
