Afghanistan cricket legend Mohammad Nabi has played an instrumental role in taking his country ahead in cricket. The all-rounder now plays across various T20 league around the world including the IPL. In the recently concluded CPL 2020, Nabi once again gave an account of his talent and played a pivotal role in taking St Lucia Zouks to the final.
The 35-year-old scored 156 runs and picked up 12 wickets in 12 matches for his side. Nabi will now once again represent the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL which will be contested in the UAE. Ahead of the IPL former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir tagged Nabi as the most underrated T20 player in the world.
Gambhir added that Nabi is a quality all-rounder and is not given enough credit for his performances. The former cricketer lauded Nabi who usually performs in all facets of the game when he is given an opportunity to showcase his skills.
“According to me, he is the most underrated player in T20 cricket. You talk about Kieron Pollard, AB de Villiers, Rashid Khan or David Warner but if you see his contribution, he is a brilliant fielder, gives you four overs with the ball, bowls in the first 6 overs, bats at No.5 or No.6 and can play the big shots,” said Gambhir on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.
Nabi Most Underrated T20 Player In The World- Gautam Gambhir
“We talk about Andre Russell as a quality all-rounder but Mohammad Nabi probably may not be in that category but he is not that far behind. Because he comes from Afghanistan, who do not play that much cricket, so people do not rate him that much,” he added.
Meanwhile, Gambhir further pointed out that if Nabi was part of another IPL franchise he would have played all 14 matches and had a much greater impact. Usually, at Sunrisers Hyderabad, Nabi doesn’t get enough chances as the side can only play 4 overseas players and he faces tough competition from the likes of Warner, Williamson, Rashid Khan and Bairstow.
“He is also in a franchise where you play David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Rashid Khan and Kane Williamson, so he does not get that many opportunities. If Mohammad Nabi was in some other franchise, he would have played all the 14 matches in the IPL. And if you play him in all the 14 matches of the IPL, you will come to know his impact,” Gambhir concluded.
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Moreover so far in his IPL career, Nabi has managed to play only 13 matches in 3 seasons. Nabi has scored 135 runs and picked up 11 wickets for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. After his heroics in the CPL and with UAE pitches assumed to assist spinner Nabi might play a key role for his IPL franchise this year. Furthermore, SRH will play their opening match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on September 21 in Dubai.
