Md Shami and Auqib Nabi: The Forgotten Warriors of Indian Cricket

 

Md Shami and Auqib Nabi: The Forgotten Warriors of Indian Cricket

Indian cricket boasts of great players who have performed and are always in the spotlight. The superstars—the batters who dominate headlines and the bowlers who rise to prominence. Yet, behind all such iconic achievers are the warriors whose contributions are enormous and often receive less recognition than they deserve.

If Md Shami's story is about resurgence, Auqib Nabi's is about emergence.

Two pacers. Two generations. One relentless spirit—the spirit of the forgotten warriors of Indian cricket.

The two different generations, two champions, two warriors;  

Mohammed Shami is fighting his way back into the National side at 36, and Auqib Nabi, the 29-year-old from Jammu & Kashmir, has forced his way into India's Test team as a replacement for the injured Jasprit Bumrah in the recently concluded series with Sri Lanka through extraordinary domestic performances. He is eagerly waiting for the right opportunity to prove himself in the International circuit. 

Their stories are different, but their cricketing DNA is strikingly similar: pace, perseverance, determination, dedication and their ability to make the ball talk, the hallmark of a good bowler.

Mohammed Shami: The Warrior Who is graciously declining to fade.

Mohammed Shami's journey is one of Indian cricket's great stories of resoluteness and endurance. From a powerful performer for Bengal in the domestic circuit to one of India's premier pacers, Shami has built a legacy as a match-winner across formats and teams. His reputation comes not only from his flamboyance but also from relentless accuracy that has time and again deceived the best of the best batters.

The greatest weapon of Md Shami is to hit the seam repeatedly at high pace. The upright seam position, late movement and ability to reverse the ball have made him particularly dangerous in Test cricket. Even today, his performance speaks volumes with his ultimate accuracy. 

The numbers underline his stature.

Shami has taken 229 wickets in 64 Tests at an average of 27.71, with six five-wicket hauls. In ODIs, he has 206 wickets in 108 matches at 24.05, including the extraordinary 7/57, India's best ODI bowling figures. Md Shami has a fantastic record of 10 four-wicket hauls and 6 five-wicket hauls in One Day Internationals.

His 2023 ODI World Cup remains one of the finest chapters of his career. He forced his way into the tournament after initially being outside India's playing eleven; Shami proved himself on the bigger stage and came out with flying colours.

Continuously plagued by injuries and fitness issues, his international career was affected. He played his last Test Match in June 2023, and his last one-day international in November 2025.  After recovering from prior injuries and surgery, Shami proved his stamina by handling heavy workloads and bowling long spells with his trademark upright seam. 

During this journey, Shami has constantly fought hard. Inspite of all rejections by the Selection Committee, he has made it clear that his international career is still not over.

In the last season (2025-26) of the domestic tournaments, the Ranji Trophy/ Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the ever-dependable Md Shami produced great spells with an excellent performance of 8 for 90 in the semi-finals against Jammu & Kashmir.

- 37 wickets, 16.5 average in Ranji Trophy

- 16 wickets, 14.93 average in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

-  15 wickets, 24.5 average in Vijay Hazare Trophy

Shami was just phenomenal in this domestic season; he did incredibly well in all formats.

At the ongoing 2026 Duleep Trophy, he is continuing with his signature form and has showcased everyone on his fitness, hunger to perform and passion to represent his country in his favourite format of Test Cricket. 

Shami reached 900 wickets in professional cricket, joining an elite group of Indian bowlers. Even in the elite Duleep Trophy Championship of Indian domestic Cricket, Shami continues to show his control and forceful wicket-taking abilities when the Captain desires the most, with his competitive instinct remaining intact.  He proved it in the final against South Zone, producing crucial breakthroughs with short, incisive spells. 

Even at this age, Shami is trying hard to serve Indian cricket just by extending his career, but with a meaningful drive to reclaim his coveted position as the Captain’s choice of a pacer.

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Auqib Nabi: From Jammu & Kashmir to the National Door

While India has produced great fast bowlers who have made an impact in the World Cricket but never we dreamt to find a sensational bowler from the state of Jammu & Kashmir.  Can we expect, after Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, and Zaheer Khan, the best of the pace bowlers in Indian Cricket, like Md Shami, whether Auqib Nabi also earns a name as an effective bowler for his Country? 

Coming through the core domestic arena, fighting for his place, he has always

performed with a hidden hunger, creating magic spells for his team. From a modest background to a pillar of success is what speaks to his tenacity and determination.

His breakthrough season came in 2024-25, when he collected 44 Ranji Trophy wickets. But 202-26 was spectacular. Nabi finished the Ranji Trophy season as the leading wicket-taker with 60 wickets at an astonishing average of 12.56, including seven five-wicket hauls. His performances were instrumental in Jammu & Kashmir winning their first-ever Ranji Trophy title. 

Even more remarkable is his consistency across seasons. Nabi took 104 wickets across the 2024-25 and 2025-26 Ranji seasons, placing him among the most prolific bowlers in successive Ranji campaigns. 

His speciality of highly effective pace, aggression and relentless attacking lines keeps him afloat with others in the pace segment of the Indian bowling attack.

He has also demonstrated an ability to rise to the occasion. Against Madhya Pradesh in the 2025-26 Ranji quarter-final, Nabi claimed 12 wickets in the match, following seven wickets in the first innings with five in the second. 

His historic domestic season finally opened the biggest door of all.

In August 2026, following Jasprit Bumrah's injury, Nabi received his maiden India Test call-up, becoming the first player from Jammu & Kashmir selected for India's senior Test side. That is more than an individual achievement. It is a landmark moment for Jammu & Kashmir cricket, which, a few seasons back, could never have imagined sending a player to represent India in a Test Match.

Auqib Nabi, to further acclimatise to the International circuit, is now proudly representing Surrey in English County Cricket, keeping in mind the upcoming important Test series in New Zealand.

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Two Warriors, Two Journeys :

Shami and Nabi are separated by age and experience, but both embody the essence of fast bowling.

Shami is the craftsman. Nabi is the challenger.

Shami has already conquered some of the biggest stages in world cricket. Nabi is only beginning to discover them.

Shami's battle is against time, injuries and the selectors' doubts. Nabi's challenge is different: converting extraordinary domestic success into sustained international performance.

But both possess something priceless for a fast bowler—the temperament to keep attacking.

Perhaps the word forgotten is slightly unfair to Shami and premature for Nabi. Shami's record ensures he can never truly be forgotten, while Nabi's remarkable rise means Indian cricket is finally beginning to take notice

Still, they remain warriors whose contributions can easily be overshadowed by the bigger names.

And that is precisely why their stories deserve to be told.

Mohammed Shami is fighting to prove that experience still has a place at the highest level.

Auqib Nabi is fighting to prove that the next great Indian fast bowler can emerge from

anywhere.

One is knocking on the door for a comeback.

The other has finally stepped through it.