Mumbai: Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi has received an extended opportunity in India’s ODI setup after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) included him in the squad for the first three matches of the five-game series against New Zealand, having initially been picked only for the final two games.
The selection committee’s decision, announced on Saturday, means Nabi will now be available for the entire five-match series, which begins on November 4. His inclusion comes a day after Prasidh Krishna was ruled out of the tour, with the pacer requiring additional time to recover from a hamstring injury and regain the workload needed for competitive cricket.
Nabi’s recent performances in New Zealand appear to have strengthened his case. The 29-year-old was among India’s standout bowlers in the opening unofficial Test between India A and New Zealand A at Lincoln last week, claiming six wickets and exploiting the assistance on offer from the surface.
He was originally named in the India A squad for all three unofficial Tests but was subsequently withdrawn from the groups for the second and third matches. Before heading to New Zealand, Nabi also featured for Jammu and Kashmir in the Irani Cup against Rest of India, where he picked up four wickets.
The call-up offers the right-arm seamer another opportunity to establish himself at the international level following an underwhelming start to his ODI career. Nabi made his debut against the West Indies in Guwahati on September 30 but endured a difficult outing, conceding 84 runs in 8.5 overs. He was left out of the playing XI for the third and final ODI in Mullanpur, with Mohammed Siraj replacing him.
However, his domestic record provides a compelling case for another opportunity. Nabi was central to Jammu and Kashmir’s historic maiden Ranji Trophy triumph in the 2025-26 season, finishing with 60 wickets and establishing himself as one of the competition’s most effective fast bowlers.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill will captain India in the opening three ODIs, with Shreyas Iyer taking over leadership duties for the final two matches. Gill and wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul are scheduled to leave the squad after the third ODI to prepare for the subsequent two-match Test series.
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
(IANS)
