Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has hit out at the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel for leaving out Jammu and Kashmir quick Auqib Nabi from India\u2019s plans for the upcoming one-off Test versus Afghanistan. The 29-year-old has been in outstanding form in the Ranji Trophy for the past two seasons, and his impact in 2025-26 played a major role as Jammu and Kashmir lifted the top domestic prize for the first time.<\/p>\n
In the 2025-26 Ranji season, Nabi ended as the leading wicket-taker, removing 60 batters across 17 innings at an average of 12.65. He was also named Player of the Tournament. Looking at the bigger picture of the last two Ranji campaigns, Nabi has taken 104 wickets in total.<\/p>\n
Manjrekar called the decision to ignore Auqib \u201cridiculous\u201d, arguing that the Ranji Trophy should be done away with if selectors keep sidelining proven performers despite their numbers and match-winning ability.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to enjoy the old days when huge injustice would be met with public protests. People would come out on the streets with placards and demand answers. These days the noise is mostly on social media, but this is one non-selection that I genuinely can\u2019t comprehend,\u201d Manjrekar said on Sporstar\u2019s Insight Edge Podcast.<\/p>\n
He went on to add that the omission makes little sense. \u201cIt\u2019s actually ridiculous. When Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj aren\u2019t playing\u2014whether they\u2019re being rested or managed for the longer term\u2014then you might as well not have the Ranji Trophy if performances like these are going to be ignored,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For the Afghanistan Test, India are set to rest Jasprit Bumrah, and the pace attack is expected to be led by Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Manjrekar said he could have accepted Nabi\u2019s exclusion if Siraj, Bumrah and Shami had been unavailable, but that still doesn\u2019t explain the choice he believes has been made.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have understood it if the fast-bowling spots were taken by Jasprit Bumrah, Siraj and Shami, and Nabi couldn\u2019t find a place. But this is beyond me. It\u2019s not a sound cricketing decision, because when you compare his record with some others in the group, it\u2019s clear that tremendous injustice has been done,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Manjrekar also pointed to the wider narrative around Nabi. \u201cIt was an incredible chapter for Indian cricket\u2014Jammu and Kashmir winning the Ranji Trophy\u2014and this was the man who almost single-handedly guided them to the title. It was a no-brainer, and it\u2019s really sad that he isn\u2019t there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On Nabi\u2019s development, Manjrekar noted that while the pacer first came to prominence as a red-ball specialist, his growth in the white-ball format has been just as significant in recent years. Nabi finished the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 15 wickets in seven matches, and that showing helped earn him a spot at the IPL 2026 auction, where Delhi Capitals snapped him up for Rs. 8.40 crore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has hit out at the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel for leaving out Jammu and Kashmir quick Auqib Nabi from India\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Manjrekar vs Agarkar: Auqib Nabi drop sparks IPL talk","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Manjrekar lashes out at Ajit Agarkar after Auqib Nabi is dropped despite Ranji dominance, calling the move \u201cridiculous\u201d amid IPL chatter.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n