New Delhi, 31 October: India have strengthened their fast-bowling options for the five-match ODI series against New Zealand by adding Auqib Nabi to the squad for the first three matches. The men’s selection committee had originally named the 29-year-old only for the fourth and fifth ODIs, so he will now be available for the whole series, which starts on Wednesday, 4 November.
The rest of the squad announced for the opening three games stays the same. All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is available for the first ODI only.
Cover after Prasidh Krishna’s withdrawal
The change comes after India confirmed that Prasidh Krishna will miss the ODI series because he could not get fitness clearance. His absence left Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Anshul Kamboj and Gurnoor Brar as the main seam options for the first part of the tour, alongside Nitish Kumar Reddy for the opener.
Nabi gives the selectors another fast bowler for the early matches. He made his ODI debut only last month, in the second ODI against the West Indies, and his inclusion from the start of the series gives him a longer run in the side.
Two squads, two captains
India have picked separate squads for the two halves of the series. Shubman Gill captains the side in the first three ODIs, with Shreyas Iyer as his deputy. Iyer then takes over as captain for the fourth and fifth matches, with Ishan Kishan as vice-captain.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are in both squads, as are Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep, Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurnoor Brar and now Nabi. KL Rahul keeps wicket in the first three games, while Kumar Kushagra comes in as a second wicketkeeper for the last two. Tilak Varma and Yash Thakur are also added for the final two matches.
India’s squad for the first three ODIs
Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy (first ODI only), Auqib Nabi.
India’s squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper, vice-captain), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wicketkeeper), Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav.
T20I series already won
India go into the ODIs on the back of a strong T20I series. They hold an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, with the final game on Sunday, 1 November. The ODI series runs from 4 to 15 November.
India are in the middle of a long tour of New Zealand that also includes Test matches later in the summer. In the T20I rankings, Abhishek Sharma is back at No. 1 among batters.
