MUMBAI: Jammu and Kashmir pace sensation Auqib Nabi says former South African speedster Dale Steyn's ability to swing the ball at a high speed inspired him to take up fast bowling.
Nabi, who played a key role in J&K's maiden title win in the Ranji Trophy this year, is in the Delhi Capitals’ camp waiting to make his debut in the Indian Premier League. He might get a chance on Saturday when Delhi take on Mumbai Indians in a home match.
"I used to watch Dale Steyn a lot when I was young. The way he swung the ball at such high pace inspired me to become a fast bowler and hopefully, play for India one day," Nabi told 'JioHotstar'.
"I used to get scolded a lot by my father for constantly playing cricket because I didn't have his support. He wanted me to become a doctor,' the 29-year-old recalled.
Nabi said Irfan Pathan, who worked as a mentor for Jammu and Kashmir, then played an instrumental role in helping him improve.
"When Irfan bhai joined as mentor of Jammu and Kashmir, I was in the Under-23 team and my performances there got his attention. He helped me make my debut for the Jammu and Kashmir senior team. He used to guide me a lot by giving me tips and was very helpful," Nabi said.
On his part, Pathan said the idea was to develop a big pool of pacers for J&K and Nabi was one of the main bowlers in the project.
"I saw Auqib Nabi for the first time in 2018. When I was the mentor of the Jammu and Kashmir cricket team, we wanted to have a strong group of eight to ten fast bowlers," Pathan said.
"We wanted to make a big group and Auqib was one of the key fast bowlers. The most important thing was that he used to bowl long spells, especially in Under-23 and junior cricket. He was very impressive. Secondly, his ability to move the ball late was very impressive," he added.
Pathan said Nabi's ability to extract movement off the seam as well as swing the ball either side makes stand out.
"Many international bowlers have a straight seam, including Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. Auqib Nabi may not have a speed of 140 kmph, but the way he bowls, it quickens off the surface after pitching," he explained.
"Bowling close to the stumps, he can swing it away consistently and also surprise batters with the one that comes in and that is a major strength of Auqib Nabi," he added.