Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi has been added to India's squad for the first three one-day internationals against New Zealand, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced on Saturday. The late change means the 29-year-old right-arm pacer, who was initially named only for the final two matches of the five-game series, will now be part of the Indian side from the very start of the tour.
The series begins on November 4 at Eden Park in Auckland and runs until November 15, before the two teams meet in a two-Test series starting on November 19.
The revision follows the exclusion of Prasidh Krishna from the entire ODI series after the fast bowler sustained a hamstring injury during India's recent home series against the West Indies. Krishna picked up the injury in the second ODI against the West Indies in Guwahati, and the selectors have decided to prioritise his recovery rather than rush him back for the New Zealand tour.
According to the BCCI, if Krishna clears his fitness assessment, he could be drafted into the India A squad for the third and final four-day match against New Zealand A, which is scheduled to begin on November 7.
In its statement, the BCCI's Men's Selection Committee said it had added Nabi to the squad for the first three ODIs, noting that the pacer was initially in the squad only for the fourth and fifth matches but would now be available from the opening game. The announcement was made on October 31, just days before the team departs for New Zealand, and it underlines how quickly plans can change in international cricket when injuries intervene.
For Nabi, it is a significant promotion: instead of joining the squad midway through the series, he will travel with the main group and be in contention for selection from the first match itself.
Nabi's rise has been one of the quieter success stories of Indian domestic cricket in recent seasons. The seamer from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir is only the second cricketer from the region to make it to the national side after Parvez Rasool, and his selection carries symbolic weight for cricket in the valley, where infrastructure and opportunity have historically lagged behind the country's traditional centres.
He earned his maiden India call-up during the Sri Lanka Test series in August, when he replaced Jasprit Bumrah, after claiming 60 wickets in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season — a haul that marked him out as one of the most consistent performers on the domestic circuit.
He made his ODI debut last month against the West Indies in Guwahati, an experience that was, by his own sport's unforgiving standards, a harsh introduction to international cricket. Bowling in the second ODI of that series, he returned wicketless and conceded 84 runs in 8.5 overs as the West Indies batsmen attacked him.
It was the kind of debut that can dent a young bowler's confidence, but the selectors have evidently chosen to look beyond a single difficult outing and back the qualities that earned him selection in the first place: pace, bounce, stamina and a proven record of taking wickets in domestic cricket.
Nabi is currently in New Zealand already, having travelled with the India A red-ball squad. He played in the first unofficial Test against New Zealand A at Lincoln, where he picked up six wickets across the two innings, a performance that will have reassured the selectors about his readiness for New Zealand conditions.
The ability to swing the ball and extract bounce on the livelier pitches of New Zealand is prized in that country, and Nabi's recent experience in those conditions — rather than arriving cold from India — is an additional advantage.
The updated squad for the first three ODIs will be led by Shubman Gill, with Shreyas Iyer as vice-captain. The batting core features Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, alongside KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan as wicketkeeping options, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who is available only for the first ODI. The bowling group includes Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar and now Nabi.
For the fourth and fifth ODIs, the leadership changes hands: Shreyas Iyer will captain the side, with Ishan Kishan as his deputy, and Tilak Varma, Kumar Kushagra and Yash Thakur come into the squad.
The New Zealand series is an important staging post for India in the ODI format. With senior players such as Rohit and Kohli in the squad alongside a new generation led by Gill, the tour offers the team management a chance to test combinations, blood young fast bowlers and prepare for the longer Test series that follows.
New Zealand's home conditions — seam movement, swing under lights and brisk outfields — have historically challenged visiting teams, and India's fast-bowling depth will be tested across five matches in less than two weeks.
For Nabi personally, the series represents a second chance to make a first impression. His debut figures will be remembered, but international careers are rarely defined by a single match, and a strong showing in New Zealand — whether as a starter or as cover in the squad — could establish him as a genuine option for India's white-ball plans.
Coming from Baramulla, where cricketing pathways to the national team remain rare, his presence in the squad from the opening match is itself a milestone, and it will be watched closely back home.
The selectors' decision also reflects a broader trend in Indian cricket: a willingness to reward sustained domestic performance rather than reputation alone. Nabi's 60 Ranji wickets, his six wickets for India A in New Zealand, and his ability to bowl long spells have all counted in his favour.
Whether he gets a game in Auckland or later in the series, his promotion to the full squad for the entire tour is a vote of confidence — and a reminder that in Indian cricket, the road from the domestic circuit to the national team, while long, remains open.
(Reporting based on ESPNcricinfo, The Indian Express, Reuters and Sportstar.)