If you are bowling well, there are no difficult batters: Nabi

Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi emphasizes bowling well makes all batters manageable, showcasing skill in the Ranji Trophy final.

Auqib Nabi would have been a fine book reviewer. Neither the name of the author nor the standing of the publisher would have mattered to him. The written word would have been sacrosanct.

On day three of the Ranji Trophy final against Karnataka, the Jammu & Kashmir pacer brought this reputation-agnostic quality to his bowling to dismiss K.L. Rahul, Karun Nair and R. Smaran.

The three have nearly 20,000 First Class runs among them, and Rahul and Karun have featured in a combined 77 Tests for India. But on Thursday, Rahul scored three of his 13 runs off Nabi, and Karun and Smaran none.

“My mindset is that I should bowl without looking at the batters,” Nabi said after play.

“I should do what I can do, which is to stick to a particular line and length, and not leave the channel. If you are bowling well, there are no difficult batters. I bowl with that positive mindset.”

This was in contrast to how Karnataka operated. Prasidh Krishna and V. Vyshak — and occasionally Vidyadhar Patil — did come up with some tight spells, but they weren’t relentless like Nabi.