The Auqib Nabi ODI squad has been changed, with Auqib Nabi added for the first three ODIs against New Zealand starting on 4 November. The right arm pacer had first been named only for the fourth and fifth ODIs of the series, and his call has now been brought forward. The change follows Prasidh Krishna being ruled out of the series, and it means Auqib will be part of the squad from the start of the series rather than joining it late.
Auqib Nabi ODI squad call brought forward
In the Auqib Nabi ODI squad story, Auqib was first named only for the fourth and fifth ODIs, which would have kept him out of the early part of the series. That plan has now changed, and he has been added to the squad for the first three ODIs as well. The first three ODIs start on 4 November, so the revised plan puts him in the squad for the opening matches of the series. The shift is a direct response to Prasidh being ruled out, and it fills the gap left in the squad.
The Auqib Nabi ODI squad pick was not part of the T20I side, and his route into the ODI squad has come through the longer form selection for the later matches. Being named for the fourth and fifth ODIs first showed that he was already in the selectors plans for this series, even before the change. Bringing his call forward moves that plan to an earlier point, and it gives the squad a fast bowling option for the first three matches.
In the Auqib Nabi ODI squad change, Prasidh was ruled out after failing to recover from a hamstring injury sustained in the second ODI against West Indies in Guwahati on 30 September. The Board of Control for Cricket in India said he will need additional time to build his workload, and his absence left a place to fill in the ODI squad. Auqib is the player brought in to fill that place for the first three ODIs, and the timing of the change ties the two updates together.
Auqib Nabi ODI squad role in early matches
The Auqib Nabi ODI squad addition covers the first three ODIs, the matches Auqib has now been added for, and they begin on 4 November. His addition means the squad for those matches includes a right arm pacer who had first been held back for the last two matches of the series. The change does not alter his original naming for the fourth and fifth ODIs, but it extends his time with the squad to cover the full series from the start.
For a player in the Auqib Nabi ODI squad who was not part of the T20I side, the ODI call marks a separate path into the national set up for this series. The T20I side and the ODI squad are different groups, and Auqib was not in the former. His place is in the ODI squad, first for the fourth and fifth matches, and now also for the first three matches, after the injury to Prasidh changed the plan.
What the change means for the series
The Auqib Nabi ODI squad change means the five match series against New Zealand now has Auqib in the squad from the first match onward, rather than from the fourth match. That gives the team management a right arm pace option across the whole series, and it removes the need to wait until the later matches for his involvement. The change was reported on 5 November, alongside the update that Prasidh had been ruled out of the series.
Auqib Nabi ODI squad changes of this kind are common when an injury removes a player from a series, because the squad must still cover the matches ahead. In this case, the player already named for the later matches was the natural choice to step in early, and his call was brought forward. The result is a squad for the first three ODIs that includes Auqib, where the first plan had him joining only for the fourth and fifth ODIs.
The key dates in the change are clear. The first three ODIs start on 4 November, and Auqib has been added for those matches. He had first been named only for the fourth and fifth ODIs, and he was not part of the T20I side. Prasidh was ruled out after failing to recover from his hamstring injury, and Auqib, a right arm pacer, has been brought forward to cover the early part of the series.