Auqib Nabi set to play three County Championship games for Surrey

Auqib Nabi, the Jammu and Kashmir seamer, is set to feature in three County Championship Division One games for Surrey starting next week with an eye on India's two-Test tour of New Zealand in November.

On Saturday, Nabi was approved for the necessary work visa and boarded the first flight that was available. He is expected to debut in Surrey's County Championship fixture against Yorkshire at The Oval on Wednesday.

The seamer is expected to return home in time for India A's four-day fixtures against Australia A in Puducherry starting September 22.

Meanwhile, the J&K selectors will wait to hear from the national selectors before picking their squad for the Irani Cup from October 1-5 in Srinagar. Since the second India A vs Australia A fixture clashes with the Irani Cup, the selectors will likely balance the squads, with Nabi set to play for one of the teams.

Nabi was a late inclusion in India's Test squad for Sri Lanka earlier this month after Jasprit Bumrah missed getting a fitness clearance from the BCCI's Centre of Excellence. He couldn't, however, break into the playing XI in either Test with India fielding just two frontline seamers, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.

However, with both upcoming Tests scheduled in the early part of the New Zealand summer, the Indian team management and selectors felt Nabi would be better off playing in similar conditions, the temperatures in the UK notwithstanding.

Nabi has had a pathbreaking year. In March, he was part of J&K's historic maiden Ranji Trophy title win. He took 60 wickets in the season, including a five-for in the championship match. Among his wickets were KL Rahul, Karun Nair and R Smaran, the season's highest run-scorer with 950 runs. He made his IPL debut in April after being unsold for several years. But, picked for INR 8.4 crore by Delhi Capitals, he featured in five games overall, failing to pick up a wicket while going at 11.46.

Recently, Surrey has seen an increase in Indian players. B Sai Sudharsan had two short stints with them in 2023 and 2024. Earlier this month, they also signed Rajasthan batter Mahipal Lomror for six matches. Rahul Chahar, a legspinner, has a contract with the club as well.