NEW DELHI, Sept. 25 -- When the BCCI announced India's 15-man ODI squad for the West Indies series last week, the first name that stopped the cricket community cold had nothing to do with Rohit Sharma's return or Virat Kohli's comeback. It was a right-arm seamer from Srinagar who had never played an international match, who spent the last winter taking 60 wickets for Jammu & Kashmir at an average of 12.65, the best single-season figures by any Ranji Trophy wicket-taker in two decades, and who had quietly made it impossible for the selectors to look away.

Auqib Nabi is not a household name yet. He will be.

The 24-year-old pacer's maiden ODI call-up capped a Ranji Trophy season that was already historic. Jammu & Kashmir ended a 13-year ti...