Irfan Pathan backs Auqib Nabi ahead of India's Test series against Sri Lanka

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Team India is set to clash against Sri Lanka in the two-match Test series. The first game is scheduled to be played from August 15 at the Galle International Cricket Stadium near Galle Fort.

Ahead of the series, the visitors will miss the services of their lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah. He has been ruled out of the series due to an injury. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named Auqib Nabi as his replacement.

Following Nabi’s maiden call-up to Team India, former cricketer Irfan Pathan has heaped praise on the pacer by saying that a pace of around 133-135 can be expected from the Jammu and Kashmir bowler.

“The optimum pace to get the ball moving is around 135 kph. If you can get it to swing, that too late, then you are good. And with the rhythm and with the kind of action he has, he can touch 133-135 kph on a regular basis. That’s what I believe,” he said.

The former cricketer then said that Nabi showcased his exceptional skills during the Ranji Trophy season, where he troubled batsmen like KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer with his bowling.

“Does the bowler have the ability to get the batters, the top-quality batters, out while defending? This is the other quality you seek. We have seen that in the Ranji Trophy final, he troubled KL Rahul, he didn’t even get a wicket. In that too, he defended normally and dismissed the batsman,” said Pathan.

“In Mumbai, I saw the match, Shreyas and our current players, he was dismissing them the same way. So, on different pitches, the top-quality batsmen defend and get dismissed. That means he has the ability,” he recalled.

Pathan feels that receiving a call-up to Team India as a replacement bowler will still give Nabi a lot of confidence.

“For Auqib to be in the squad right now, even though he was not the first choice, he came as a replacement of Jasprit Bumrah, it will still give him a lot of confidence. Because being in the squad is a big thing,” said the former cricketer.

India’s squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka

Shubman Gill (C), KL Rahul (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain, Auqib Nabi.

(With PTI Inputs)

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