Shahbaz Nadeem

When Shahbaz  Nadeem started making headlines with his brilliant performances in the domestic circuit, it was almost certain he will make big in the international area. However, he never got an India call-up until very recently when he was drafted in as a replacement for Kuldeep Yadav for the home Test series against South Africa late in 2019. He bagged two wickets each in both innings and played 2nd foil to Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. 

Nadeem is already a legend in the domestic circuit and has already bagged 443 first-class wickets for his state Jharkhand. Despite showing immense consistency in the first-class circuit, Nadeem continues to be one of the most underrated spinners. He bowls with guile and deception and his immaculate line and length make him a perfect option for any captain. 

He has a classical action which any left-arm spinner will be proud of. He has a smooth run-up and his follow-through also allows him to get the rip and turn from the surface. He was touted as the next big left-arm spinner emerging from the age group level. He is also a brilliant fielder which makes and has been a livewire in the field for whichever teams he has played. 

Nadeem first came into the limelight back in 2002 when he bagged a nine-wicket haul against Sikkim Under 15. Just at a tender age of 15, Nadeem made his first-class debut against Kerala in 2004. The left-arm spinner came under the scanner again but this time for his dip in form. He was smashed all around the park against Australia U 19 in a bilateral series and was subsequently left out from all but one match in the U 19 World Cup. 

He went about his business in an unfazed manner in the following years but a breakthrough season still eluded him. He started making headlines again and finally, he made a breakthrough in the IPL when he was bought by the Delhi Daredevils for his consistent showing in the domestic circuit. After his impressive performances in his very first season, he was nominated for the IPL Rising Star of the Year Award. 

With the presence of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the longest format, Nadeem was finding it difficult to break into the Indian Test team. However, he didn’t lose hope and bowled exceptionally in the 2015-16 and the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy season bagging 51 and 56 wickets respectively. He finished as the leading wicket-taker in both the years. Nadeem was also the leading wicket take for Jharkhand in the 2017-18 season bagging 18 wickets in just 4 games. 

Despite his mind-boggling exploits in the domestic circuit, the elusive India call-up eluded him. Yet again the Delhi Daredevils showed faith in Nadeem and bought him in the 2018 IPL Auctions. In September 2018, Nadeem was again in the thick of things when he bagged a sensational 8 wicket haul for just 10 runs in a Vijay Hazare Trophy game which included a hat-trick. Nadeem eventually finished as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 24 scalps in 9 matches.

Nadeem is currently an integral part of the Jharkhand domestic side and given his ability to bowl tight lines, he might be an option for the selectors especially in home series. However, there is no denying the fact that there is a big pool of spinners going around so it won’t be easy for Nadeem to again make a return to the Indian Test side.