India have added right-arm pacer Auqib Nabi to the squad for the first three ODIs against New Zealand, meaning he will now be available from the beginning of the five-match series rather than joining only for the final two games.
What changed
The BCCI confirmed on 31 October that Nabi, who had initially been selected for the fourth and fifth ODIs, has been brought into the group for the first three matches as well. The first ODI is scheduled for 4 November.
The update comes after Prasidh Krishna was ruled out of the ODI series because he needs more time to recover from a hamstring injury and build the required bowling workload.
Why Nabi’s inclusion matters
Nabi gives India another seam-bowling option for New Zealand conditions. He has played one ODI and was wicketless in that appearance, but the ICC noted that he recently took six wickets across two innings for India A against New Zealand A.
That recent red-ball workload does not guarantee a place in the ODI XI, but it gives the selectors an additional bowler who is already acclimatised to local conditions.
India squad for the 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 (first ODI only) and Auqib Nabi.
Squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper and vice-captain), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wicketkeeper), Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav.
One more squad detail to watch
Nitish Kumar Reddy is listed only for the first ODI. BCCI said he will then link up with the India A squad for the third four-day match against New Zealand A to gain match practice ahead of the Test series beginning 19 November.
What this means for the ODI series
India now have greater pace depth for the opening matches, but the final balance will still depend on conditions and the combination of Siraj, Arshdeep, Kamboj, Brar and Nabi. The change is best viewed as a depth move following Prasidh Krishna’s absence, not as confirmation that Nabi will automatically start.
Sources: BCCI squad update and ICC report, checked 31 October 2026.
BCCI: Auqib Nabi added for first three ODIs
ICC: India bolster pace attack for New Zealand ODIs