Aaqib Nabi to play three County Championship games for Surrey ahead of New Zealand Tests

Aaqib Nabi stayed with the squad through both Tests against Sri Lanka but did not get a chance to make his debut. A few weeks later, the BCCI has attached him to Surrey to play county cricket in England. He will play three County Championship matches there.

The aim is straightforward. India are to play two Tests in New Zealand, and before that Nabi is to get a chance to bowl more overs with the red ball in seam-bowling conditions. The selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, are keeping a close watch on this.

In county cricket, an overseas player gets either a fixed fee for the whole stint or a weekly sum, with accommodation and travel paid separately. For an Indian player, the BCCI has to issue a no-objection certificate, and the board gives it only if the stint fits the Indian team's schedule. In Nabi's case, the board went a step further and spoke directly to Surrey, where Director of Cricket Alec Stewart was looking for a swing bowler.

Surrey have not disclosed the fee. The estimate is that short-term overseas deals at this stage of the season are generally worth a few thousand pounds a week, so three matches could bring about 6,000 to 9,000 pounds (estimate). At a rough rate of 112 rupees to the pound, that works out to about Rs 6.7 lakh. After English income tax and London living costs, less will remain in hand. The BCCI bears no cost, since Surrey pay Nabi's salary.

Nabi has made a good start. In his debut match against Yorkshire he took two wickets, including that of Kuldeep Yadav, and also hit a six with the bat. Surrey won that match by one wicket. It was played from September 2 to 5, 2026.

The schedule ahead is as follows. Sussex play Surrey at Hove from September 8 to 11, 2026, and Surrey's last county match is against Glamorgan from September 15 to 18, 2026. After that, unofficial Tests between India A and Australia A begin in Puducherry on September 22, 2026, which will be his last examination at home. The two-Test series of New Zealand versus India is at the end of 2026, with dates yet to be fixed.

On Nabi's earnings, Delhi Capitals bought him at the December 2025 auction for Rs 8.40 crore, 28 times his base price of Rs 30 lakh. Against that, the county fee is very small, so this stint is a matter of strategy more than money. Under the BCCI's current structure, central contracts pay Rs 7 crore a year for Grade A+, Rs 5 crore for A, Rs 3 crore for B and Rs 1 crore for C. Nabi does not have a contract at present, and to get one a player must play at least three Tests, eight ODIs or ten T20s in a cycle. The match fee for a Test is Rs 15 lakh per Test.

The picture has changed in domestic cricket too. Having played 44 first-class matches, Nabi falls in the highest Ranji Trophy bracket of Rs 60,000 a day, which is about Rs 2.4 lakh for a four-day match. A full Ranji season of about ten matches would bring in roughly Rs 25 lakh (estimate). He has 60 Ranji wickets at an average of 12.56.

Does this improve Nabi's Test hopes? Yes, but only slightly. Three county matches alone cannot win him a place in the team, but good performances against England and Australia A would strengthen his claim. Coach Gautam Gambhir likes bowlers who can also bat, which works in Nabi's favour. A BCCI source said, "a couple of games won't be bad for him".