Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan shared valuable advice with the Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi, who went wicketless in his six-over spell in the first ODI of the five-game series against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on Wednesday.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan advised Nabi to hit the white ball a little harder on the pitch to get more purchase in order to benefit in ODIs. Notably, Nabi conceded 33 runs in his six-over spell at an economy of 5.5.
“I have already conveyed my message to Auqib Nabi, but one piece of advice is that when he plays red-ball cricket, he kisses the ball onto the pitch. However, when he plays ODI or white-ball cricket, he will have to hit the ball a little harder into the pitch. The pace will remain the same; only the mindset will change. When he starts hitting the ball into the pitch, he will get more purchase, and his release point will also come down. That will benefit him more,” Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
“So, hopefully, he gets more opportunities going forward and makes the most of them, something he hasn’t done with the opportunities he has received so far. Hopefully, he gets more chances in white-ball cricket because these opportunities don’t come around very often. He is undoubtedly a skilful bowler. Just a little tweak will make his job easier,” he added.
Further, Pathan reckoned that to bolster its overall batting, India went with Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj at No.8 and No.9, resting Mohammed Siraj. He went on to state that Team India could go with the same winning combination in the second ODI.
“Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj are playing at No. 8 and No. 9, so we might see the same combination in the upcoming matches, especially since Nitish Kumar Reddy is no longer part of the squad. The Indian team played with that combination, and that could also be one of the reasons why Mohammed Siraj did not get an opportunity,” he concluded.
