The Indian team is all set to take on Sri Lanka in a two-game Test series. The two sides will meet in Galle and Colombo for the two Tests, and the first Test of the series will begin from August 15. Ahead of the series, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) took centre stage and announced India’s squad for the series.
The team consists of several star players, but former India cricketer Irfan Pathan took centre stage and questioned the exclusion of Auqib Nabi from the Test squad. It is worth noting that Nabi had been in excellent form in the first-class season, with 60 scalps to his name. His performances also helped Jammu and Kashmir secure their maiden Ranji title as well.
Speaking on the same, Irfan Pathan claimed that he could find no logic behind Nabi’s absence from the Test squad to take on Sri Lanka. He also pointed out how Nabi was troubling the likes of KL Rahul and other senior batters in the final as well.
"I honestly don’t have any logical answer for Nabi not being picked. People talk about pace, but you’ve got to see how a bowler is beating the bat. Is he troubling the best batters in domestic cricket? He has done that consistently. Even in the final of the Ranji Trophy, he troubled senior batters like K.L. Rahul and everyone saw that. So, his performances deserved a reward,” Irfan Pathan told Sportstar.
Pathan pointed India’s selection call from the Afghanistan Test as well
Furthermore, Irfan Pathan questioned why star pacer Mohammed Siraj was played in the one-off Test match against Afghanistan; he backed that Nabi should have played that game instead of Siraj, considering that the game did count towards the WTC (World Test Championship) standings.
"I didn’t understand the selection process. Mohammad Siraj is your go-to bowler. When (Jasprit) Bumrah is not there, Siraj becomes your No.1 bowler. So, what was the need to play against Afghanistan in a Test that wasn’t even part of the World Test Championship? If domestic performances matter, why didn’t you reward Auqib?” Pathan said.
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