Auqib Nabi, a pacer from Jammu and Kashmir, was added to the Indian squad for the first three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) of the forthcoming series against New Zealand by the Board of Control for Cricket in India on October 31, 2026. The action was taken after Prasidh Krishna was unable to play in the opening matches due to a hamstring injury he sustained during the second ODI against the West Indies in Guwahati.
For the fourth and fifth ODIs in the same series, Auqib Nabi had already been included in the squad. This was verified in a statement by the Men’s Selection Committee of the BCCI. Auqib Nabi has been added to the team for the first three ODIs against New Zealand by the Men’s Selection Committee. The statement stated, “The right-arm pacer, who was initially included in the squad for the series’ fourth and fifth ODIs, will be a part of the Indian squad from the beginning of the ODI series.”
For the first three ODIs, Shreyas Iyer is the vice-captain and Shubman Gill is in charge. Iyer then assumes captaincy for the fourth and fifth games, with Ishan Kishan serving as his deputy. All five ODIs feature Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Before this call-up, what form did Auqib Nabi display?
On September 30, 2026, Nabi played his first ODI match against the West Indies. He bowled 8.5 overs and gave up 84 runs in that Guwahati match, which was a challenging introduction to the highest level of international cricket.
The right-arm pacer displayed promising signs in the four-day India A match against New Zealand A at Lincoln, where he took six wickets in two innings despite that debut performance. His performance helped him stay in the squad for the subsequent ODIs prior to this most recent promotion and kept him in the selectors’ thoughts.
India will have more pace cover throughout the series because Nabi is now a member of the team from the first ODI. Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Anshul Kamboj, and Gurnoor Brar, along with Nabi, make up the remainder of the pace attack. Nitish Kumar Reddy is only used in the first ODI of the first three games.
Tilak Varma and Kumar Kushagra join the squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs, and Yash Thakur replaces some of the previous players. Kishan and Kushagra share wicket-keeping duties throughout the entire series, with KL Rahul handling it in the first three games. Naman Dhir and Ruturaj Gaikwad add batting depth throughout, while Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel offer spin options.
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Gill’s performance before the series is noteworthy. As part of a successful chase that saw India overhaul a target of more than 400 runs in that ODI, the captain scored a double hundred against the West Indies.
India full squad for the New Zealand ODI series
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 (only for first ODI), Auqib Nabi.
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.
Kavya writes match previews, reviews, and feature articles. She is passionate about women’s cricket and enjoys highlighting inspiring stories from the cricketing community.
