Auckland-bound India have reshuffled their pace attack before a ball has been bowled. The BCCI announced on Saturday that fast bowler Auqib Nabi has been added to India’s squad for the first three ODIs against New Zealand, a change that follows Prasidh Krishna being ruled out of the five-match series with a hamstring injury.
Nabi, the 29-year-old right-arm pacer from Jammu and Kashmir, was originally named only in the squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs. The Men’s Selection Committee has now extended his involvement to the whole series, meaning he will be available for selection from the opening match at Eden Park, Auckland, on November 4. “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 its statement.
The move is a direct consequence of Prasidh’s injury, sustained during India’s recent home series against West Indies. Prasidh had initially been named subject to fitness clearance, but the BCCI confirmed on Friday that he requires more time to recover and rebuild the workload needed for competitive cricket, ruling him out of the ODI leg entirely. He remains in contention for the two-Test series that follows, and could yet be drafted into the India A squad for the third four-day match against New Zealand A starting November 7 if he clears his fitness assessment.
For Nabi, the call-up caps a rapid rise. He made his India debut against West Indies in September and earned attention through his domestic performances, notably during Jammu and Kashmir’s historic Ranji Trophy campaign in the 2025-26 season. His inclusion also gives India a like-for-like seam option in a squad that will be led by Shubman Gill for the first three ODIs, with Shreyas Iyer as vice-captain, before Iyer takes over the captaincy for the final two matches.
India’s updated squad for the first three ODIs reads: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy (first ODI only) and Auqib Nabi. The ODI series runs from November 4 to 15, with matches in Auckland, Wellington and Hamilton among the venues, before the teams meet in a two-Test series beginning November 19.
With the T20I series concluding in Hamilton on Sunday, November 1, the ODI leg is where India’s red-ball and white-ball plans begin to overlap — and Nabi, who only weeks ago was waiting for the back end of the tour, now has five matches, not two, to press his case.
Read our earlier report on Prasidh Krishna’s injury here: https://t20star.com/prasidh-krishna-ruled-out-of-new-zealand-odis-as-siraj-joins-india-a-for-christchurch-four-day-game/
