Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has expressed surprise on Indian seamers’ recent first-class numbers. Chopra highlighted that fast bowlers like Auqib Nabi Dar and Mohammed Shami have done well in the recent past and other pacers haven’t been able to deliver for their respective states.
Thus, the fast bowlers’ performances doesn’t paint a good picture in the domestic season. India’s domestic season will begin with the Duleep Trophy, starting August 23.
Meanwhile, Nabi was finally rewarded for his consistent performance in the previous season of the Ranji Trophy as he has replaced injured Jasprit Bumrah for Sri Lanka Tests.
“I checked the red-ball numbers, and I am slightly surprised and troubled. The pool is really small. In the 2025-26 season, only two fast bowlers were in the top 10 list – Auqib Nabi with 60 wickets and Mohammad Shami with 37 wickets. If we see the year before that, there were three. Auqib Nabi is one of them in that as well. He is at No. 1 with 44 wickets, and then Manishankar Murasingh and Shardul Thakur with 35 wickets apiece,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
Based on domestic performances, Chopra said Auqib Nabi Dar and Mohammed Shami are the only pacers who can be considered for national selection.
“Are you looking towards Shardul for Tests? Are you seeing a Test call-up for Murasingh? No. So, logically, you are seeing only Auqib Nabi in the previous two years, and Mohammad Shami, if you want to go in his direction. Then, if we go to 2023-24, Gaurav Yadav with 41 wickets, Vijaykumar Vyshak with 39 wickets, and Deepak Dhapula with 38 wickets,” Chopra observed.
The renowned commentator highlighted that very few Indian pacers have featured in the list of leading wicket-takers in a last five years.
“If you go before that (2022-23), you see two known bowlers – Akash Deep and Avesh Khan. After that (2021-22), Gaurav Yadav features once again, but only with 23 wickets, and then Ravi Teja, Mukesh Kumar, and Baltej Singh. Where are the bowlers?” he noted.
Meanwhile, Nabi led Jammu and Kashmir to glory for the first time in the domestic tournament’s history. Nabi scalped 60 wickets in 10 matches of the 2025-26 season at a stunning average of 12.57, including seven five-wicket hauls.
