Auqib Nabi's Surrey Debut To Mark Rare County Championship First
India pacer Auqib Nabi will make his County Championship debut for Surrey during their Division One fixture against Yorkshire at The Oval on Wednesday.
- India's Auqib Nabi will debut for Surrey in the County Championship against Yorkshire at The Oval on Wednesday
- The Jammu and Kashmir pacer was included in the playing XI alongside compatriots Mahipal Lomror and KL Rahul
- This marks the first known instance of 3 Indians representing the same county side in a first-class match
India pacer Auqib Nabi will make his County Championship debut for Surrey during their Division One fixture against Yorkshire at The Oval on Wednesday. Nabi, who joined the 23-time champions two days ahead of the clash, was named in Surrey's playing XI by captain Rory Burns. Nabi was included in the playing XI alongside compatriots Mahipal Lomror and KL Rahul, marking the first known instance of three Indians representing the same county side in a first-class match.
Set your alarms for the 10:30am start!
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) September 1, 2026
Auqib Nabi comes straight into the squad for the visit of Yorkshire.
| #CountyChampionship pic.twitter.com/MuFvefM5MF
Surrey signed Nabi for three County Championship matches and will also feature for them against Sussex and Glamorgan in Hove and The Oval on September 8 and 15, respectively. "
"The main purpose of this stint is also for the Indian team management and selectors to check if Nabi can swing the ball well there in England, as the climate in New Zealand for the Test series will need for him to do that in conducive conditions with the red Kookaburra ball in hand," a source familiar with the development had told IANS on Sunday.
The move comes after he received his maiden India call-up as a replacement for the injured Jasprit Bumrah for the recent Test series against Sri Lanka, although he did not make his debut as India went with two pacers in both matches.
While Nabi will be in action in the English county cricket, he is expected to return in time for India A's matches against Australia A, which will start from September 22.
On this short-term association, Auqib Nabi said: "It's an honour to join Surrey, one of the best Clubs in England. I'm looking forward to learning from the group and helping them for the next three matches."
"With the exceptionally challenging schedule of six games in six weeks, with minimal recovery between matches along with international fixtures, we've had to add options to our bowling stocks for the County Championship run-in. We look forward to welcoming Auqib to the group this week," Alec Stewart, Director of Surrey men's cricket, said.
Nabi has been a star performer in the previous two Ranji trophies, having picked up 100 wickets across the two seasons. He also hogged the limelight when he picked four wickets in four balls for the North Zone in the Duleep Trophy in 2025. He was later signed by Delhi Capitals in 2026, where he played five matches for the franchise.
(With Added Inputs)
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India Cricket Team