2nd ODI: Auqib Nabi Makes India Debut as Hosts Elect to Bowl Against West Indies

India lead the three-match series 1-0 after an eight-wicket victory in the opening ODI in Thiruvananthapuram. A win in Guwahati would give the hosts an unassailable series lead with one match remaining.

Nabi comes into the playing XI in place of Nitish Kumar Reddy. The 24-year-old pacer played a key role in Jammu & Kashmir's Ranji Trophy triumph earlier this year, claiming 60 wickets during the campaign.

He had previously earned a call-up to India's Test squad for the Sri Lanka series but did not feature. The Guwahati ODI therefore marks his first appearance in international cricket for India.

Nabi is the third cricketer from Jammu & Kashmir to represent India, following Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik.

Gill said the pitch appeared to have more grass but also looked patchy in places, which could offer assistance to the fast bowlers early in the innings.

“A bit more grass, and looks a little bit patchy at times. So I think there'll be a little bit more for the fast bowlers initially,” Gill said.

He also acknowledged the conditions in Guwahati, with higher humidity and temperatures expected to test India's bowlers.

“It's even more humid and hotter here, so I think it's gonna be a good challenge for our fast bowlers,” he added.

Gill said India would also look to improve their intensity in the middle overs after identifying that area as something that could have been better in the opening game.

“I think the intensity in the field in the middle overs is what dictates the game, and I think that is one area where I thought we could have been a little bit better in the last game,” he said.

West Indies captain Shai Hope said his side had made four changes to the playing XI. Justin Greaves was ruled out after suffering a calf injury while scoring 101 in the first ODI, while Jewel Andrew, Matthew Forde and Gudakesh Motie were also left out.

Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Shamar Joseph and Vitel Lawes came into the side.

Hope said the West Indies would have preferred to bowl first but would focus on putting a competitive total on the board.

“Definitely would have fielded as well. For sure, coin toss is a 50-50 chance, and regardless of what happens, we got to do well,” Hope said.

He said the short turnaround between the two matches meant the team needed to identify areas for improvement quickly.

“It's about understanding and identifying the areas we need to improve and finding ways to get better at them as quickly as we can. It's not much of a big turnaround between games,” he added.

### Playing XIs

**India:** Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Naman Dhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

**West Indies:** John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (captain and wicketkeeper), Amir Jangoo, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Keemo Paul, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales, Vitel Lawes.