Indian pacer Auqib Nabi was in good rhythm during the second ODI against New Zealand in Wellington, returning with two wickets for 31 runs to help India bowl New Zealand out for 134. Despite that powerful show, Nabi has come under scrutiny from former India opener Aakash Chopra, who believes the young pacer needs to improve his approach when batters look to attack him.
Chopra lauded Nabi's ability to make life difficult for opposition batters; however, he identified a potential weakness in the pacer's bowling, asserting that his effectiveness slows down when batters move out of their crease and attempt to disrupt his rhythm.
"Well, if there is help in the surface, Auqib Nabi is best suited to extract something out of it. He's a seam bowler, swing bowler. He's a hit-the-deck hard bowler. There was enough help in the surface after the game was delayed because of rain. The pitch was also under the covers for a fairly long period of time. So surface moisture was still existing. And he was just putting the ball in the right area," Chopra said on Cricinfo.
“The only issue arrives a little later when Daryl Mitchell starts walking down the pitch and the keeper has to be brought up. Mitchell starts smashing him down the ground. It has happened on two or three occasions. The lack of pace is something that will have to be worked on and he should have a plan when batters start charging down. The moment the keeper is standing up, Nabi looks half the bowler," Chopra said.
Arshdeep Singh was also utterly terrific, leaking only 16 runs from seven overs.
“Yeah, sometimes it happens. Last game, he conceded 70, but had four wickets to show for his efforts. On Saturday, he bowled a lot better than what he did at Auckland. But then had no wickets to show for it in the opening burst. If you give him the conditions, he is one of the ideal new ball bowlers who has mastered his skills in the shortest format where batters tend to go after you.”