Auqib Nabi has been named in India's squad for 4th and 5th ODIs of New Zealand series.
Former India opener Abhinav Mukund sympathized with Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi after the pacer was omitted from the India squad for the two-Test series in New Zealand. Instead, Nabi was included in the India squad for the 4th and 5th ODIs.
The visitors have included Jasprit Bumrah, Anshul Kamboj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj as pacers in their 16-member Test squad.
Mukund acknowledged that Nabi would feel fortunate not to be included in the Test team for the New Zealand tour.
"It's a tough space to be in. And it depends on the type of bowler you want. I would feel upset if I were Auqib Nabi. And if you ask me what his best format was, I would say red-ball cricket. And overseas red-ball cricket is something that I would pick Auqib Nabi for. They picked him for the last two ODIs of the New Zealand series. So yes, it's unfortunately a tough decision to make. I'm sure he'll come back pretty hard considering that he's been omitted from the side,” Mukund said on Cricinfo.
Nabi had made his India ODI debut against the West Indies, returning figures of 0-84 from 8.5 overs in Guwahati.
Bumrah and Siraj are going to be the spearheads of the Indian pace battery for the two-game Test series against New Zealand. The options available for the third fast bowler are Prasidh, Akash Deep, and Anshul Kamboj.
"If Prasidh is fully fit, then definitely Bumrah, Siraj, and Prasidh. But if the choice is between Akash Deep and Anshul Kamboj, I would pick Akash Deep,” Mukund replied when asked to make his pick.
The first Test of the India-New Zealand series will be played at the Basin Reserve in Wellington from November 19 to November 23. The second Test will be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch from November 27 to December 1.