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Mumbai batter Siddhesh Lad has launched a scathing attack on the Indian selection panel headed by Ajit Agarkar after Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi was ignored for India selection for the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan despite having a dream Ranji Trophy season.
Auqib Nabi was ignored for the upcoming Afghanistan Test despite his consistent performances in the Ranji Trophy. Instead, the Indian selectors picked Prince Yadav despite only a couple of first-class appearances after he made headlines in the IPL 2026 with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Siddhesh Lad attacks selectors after Auqib Nabi misses India Test squad
Now, Siddhesh Lad has openly questioned the current selection process and claimed that Ranji Trophy performances are losing their value in Indian cricket. He also slammed Ajit Agarkar and his team for sending a dangerous message to youngsters that shining in the IPL matters more than performing consistently in first-class cricket.
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Auqib Nabi delivered outstanding performances for Jammu and Kashmir and played a massive role in the team’s historic Ranji Trophy-winning campaign in the 2025-26 season. In the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, Auqib Nabi picked up 44 wickets at a stunning average of just above 13.
The pacer became even more dangerous in the recent season and finished with a sensational 60 wickets, becoming the leading wicket-taker of the tournament. Auqib Nabi has been consistent and fit as well, and match-winning spells were ignored as Prince was handed the maiden India call-up.
IPL becomes the benchmark for breaking into the Indian team- Siddhesh Lad
Lad was quoted as saying by the Times of India: “I think you are 100% right when you say that performing well in the IPL is the benchmark for breaking into the Indian team. The harsh reality is that domestic cricket performances are ignored by the national selectors. The Ranji Trophy has been devalued. I won’t deny that.”
He further added, “I’m not saying that I’ve performed well, so pick me into the Indian team, but I think someone like Auqib Nabi, if he has worked so hard and won the Ranji Trophy single-handedly for J&K, which is not so easy, performed exceptionally well in the Ranji Trophy, then he deserves to be picked in India’s Test side.”
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Lad, who has played more than 80 first-class matches for Mumbai, questioned the relevance of the Ranji Trophy itself if top performers continue getting ignored for India selection.
You are sending a wrong message to the domestic cricketers- Siddhesh Lad
Taking a brutal dig at the BCCI and selectors, he noted that a player’s India chances now totally depend on the IPL. He noted, “You are sending a wrong message to the domestic cricketers: that even if you do well in the Ranji Trophy, it doesn’t make any difference to your cricketing career, but if you do well in a few games in the IPL, you can make it to India’s Test team.
At the start, everyone is like, ‘If you perform in the Ranji Trophy, then you will play for India; if you don’t perform, then you won’t.’ But in the end, when we really see the selection, that’s when a lot of things go wrong.”
Lad also highlighted the Mumbai connection in the India selection. He signed off by saying, “If the player is playing well in the T20 Mumbai League, then there is a shortcut for him to subsequently play in the IPL and make it to the Indian team.”
