NEW DELHI: In the Jammu and Kashmir dressing room buzzing with the nerves of playing their first-ever Ranji Trophy final against Karnataka in Hubbali, fast bowling spearhead Auqib Nabi is, by all accounts, the calmest man in the room. That equanimity is precisely what makes Nabi, hailing from Sheeri, a small village in Baramulla, so dangerous.
When J&K take the field for the title clash in Hubbali on Tuesday, all eyes will again be on Nabi to conjure magic yet again with the red cherry. In this season, Nabi has picked 55 wickets from nine matches - the second-highest tally for a bowler - at a stunning average of 12.72. Those numbers border on the extraordinary for Nabi and bowling coach P. Krishnakumar recalled how the pacer, who is of shy nature, became a force to reckon with.
"If you look at his record, he has got 199 wickets in 40 games. I have been with him for the last three years and he has taken 99 wickets in the last two seasons. In this season, he's taken 50-plus wickets so far and that shows his skill level has gone to a different level now because he knows how to move the ball, bowl on different pitches and against different batters. So it's not a one-day process - it took almost one year to develop it and it began in the first year when I came into the Jammu & Kashmir team, " said Krishnakumar in an exclusive conversation with IANS from Hubbali.