A little after 1 p.m., at the Barsapara in Guwahati, Auqib Nabi received his India cap from K.L. Rahul. 

Less than an hour earlier, in Srinagar, Nabi was a recurring theme of the press conferences building up to the Irani Cup fixture. It wasn’t yet known that he would become just the third cricketer from Jammu & Kashmir to play for India, but such had been the pacer’s impact on his team’s Ranji Trophy-winning exploits in 2025-26 that the two captains were asked repeatedly about Nabi’s absence for J&K against Rest of India.

For Paras Dogra, the query was at the core of J&K’s chances of not only winning the Irani Cup but also defending its Ranji title. “Obviously, he took 60 wickets last year. But we have [other] good bowlers. This is a good sign for J&K that cricket is growing and other boys will get a chance,” the 41-year-old said. 

“Sunil Kumar took 31 wickets, but it was overshadowed. Umar Nazir is ready and hungry. There are a couple of other pacers too.”