Indian batter Hanuma Vihari has opined that Auqib Nabi Dar is playing the wrong format after the rookie pacer had a tough outing on his ODI debut against the West Indies at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, on Wednesday.
The fast bowler from Jammu and Kashmir didn’t have a great debut, conceding 84 runs in 8.5 overs he bowled. Thus, the pacer bagged an unwanted record of conceding the most runs by an Indian bowler on debut.
However, Dar has impressed in the domestic circuit in the red-ball format. He was recently named as Jasprit Bumrah’s replacement for a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka but didn’t get his chance.
Nabi led Jammu and Kashmir to glory for the first time in Ranji Trophy history. The pacer scalped 60 wickets in 10 matches of the 2025-26 season at a stunning average of 12.57, including seven five-wicket hauls.
“Auqib Nabi looked out of sorts. Obviously, he does not have a lot of pace and relies on swing. But that is not there in white-ball. He is playing the wrong format. He has to be given chances in Test cricket. Then we will know what he is made of. ODI and T20 is not his game. Red-ball is his forte,” Hanuma Vihari said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Vihari defended India’s fast bowlers’ performance on a flat deck at Guwahati after the hosts’ eight-wicket win.
“Gurnoor also conceded 96 runs. But these are early days. He has the pace. Everyone struggled. Even Prasidh struggled. Everyone conceded runs. So the bowling was disappointing but then West Indies also gave away those runs in 43 overs. Was bowling the problem, or was the batting too extraordinary?
Vihari reckons Mohammed Siraj, who hasn’t played in the first two games, will play the final match against the Windies.
“In the last 4-5 years, Siraj has been playing a lot and he has bowled the most number of overs for India overall. Maybe as this series is not very important they are resting him, but I think he will play the next match,” he said.
The third ODI between India and the West Indies will be played at New Chandigarh on Saturday.
