Auqib Nabi fills the void left by injured pacer Prasidh Krishna.
Auqib Nabi has officially been included in India's squad for the first three ODIs against New Zealand, ensuring he will now be available for the entire five-match 50-over series.
The Jammu and Kashmir right-arm pacer, who recently impressed by picking up six wickets in the first unofficial Test for India A against New Zealand A, fills the void left by Prasidh Krishna, who was ruled out due to a hamstring injury sustained during the previous home series against the West Indies.
“The Men’s Selection Committee has added Auqib Nabi to the squad for the first three ODIs against New Zealand. The right-arm pacer, who was initially in the squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs of the series, will be a part of the Indian squad from the start of the ODI series,” the BCCI said in a statement.
The management is prioritizing Prasidh’s recovery for the upcoming two-Test series against New Zealand, starting November 19 in Wellington, targeting a return via third India A red-ball fixture if he clears his Return to Play assessment.
India have a relatively inexperienced pace attack for the ODI series. Arshdeep Singh, Anshul Kamboj and Nabi will have limited international experience between them, while Mohammed Siraj is the only premier pacer in the group with more than 50 ODI appearances. Jasprit Bumrah has been rested from the series to focus on Test preparations.
India’s updated ODI squad for the first three ODIs: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer [VC], KL Rahul [WK], Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy (only for the first ODI), Auqib Nabi.
India’s ODI squad for fourth and fifth ODIs: Shreyas Iyer [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan [WK, VC], Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav