Imagine, you’re fighting for a spot in the Indian Test side, and you end up going to Sri Lanka for an IND A series. To top it all, you get to play in Galle, perhaps the most lifeless wicket, in all of the Island nation. You can just feel sorry for Auqib Nabi at this moment, who has done everything in his capacity to earn an India Test cap, yet returned wicketless at the end of Day 1 of the 2nd unofficial Test between IND A and SL A.
Auqib Nabi fails to shine
The hosts were positioned at 288/5 at stumps, with the J&K bowler returning with figures of 0/50 in 15 overs. On the other hand, compatriot Yash Thakur bagged 2/32 in 14 overs, while Gurnoor Brar ended with 1/49 in 14 overs. Just a week back, in the first IND A vs SL A encounter at the same venue, Auqib Nabi had claimed 5 wickets in all, spread across two innings, only showing that he is a must-have in the Indian Test side. But then, if he goes wicketless here, he might just have to start with 0 again. Such has been his fate.
For a fast bowler, who has picked up 104 wickets in the last 18 FC matches he played, there should be no other test to prove himself; but then Nabi is put through it, after all. In the 2025-26 season, he picked the most wickets in the tournament — 60, while in 2024-25, he was the best pacer overall with 44 scalps at an average of 13.14. In these matches the SR was a stunning 29.30. Remarkably, he also bagged 13 fifers in these 18 matches, the most by any pacer in the domestic circuit, in this period.
Sahan Arachchige leads SL A’s charge
The home team started the proceedings well on Thursday, with openers Pawantha Weerasinghe and Sohan de Livera adding 53 runs for the 1st wicket. Even though the Indian bowlers did strike a few times in the 2nd session of the day, but skipper Sahan Arachchige (83) paired well with Anjala Bandara (42), to add 99 runs together.
The India A spinners were quite ineffective on the day. Zeeshan Ansari looked flat and returned with figures of 0/64, while Saransh Jain could only manage 2/77 in his 24 overs on the day.
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