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Guwahati, September 30, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Auqib Nabi was handed his India debut as captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bowl first against the West Indies in the second ODI at the ACA Stadium in Barsapara, Guwahati, on Wednesday.
India lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the opening match in Thiruvananthapuram by eight wickets. A victory in the second ODI would secure the series for the hosts with a match to spare.
Nabi, who claimed 60 wickets during Jammu and Kashmir's Ranji Trophy-winning campaign earlier this year, received an India call-up for the Test series in Sri Lanka but did not get an opportunity to make his debut. He will now make his international debut for India, replacing Nitish Kumar Reddy in the playing XI.
Nabi is the third cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to represent India, after Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik.
Explaining the decision to bowl, Gill said the pitch had more grass and appeared patchy in places, potentially offering 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. Definitely, after being put under pressure in the first 20-25 overs, the way we came back was really good. It's even more humid and hotter here, so I think it's gonna be a good challenge for our fast bowlers,” Gill said.
The Indian captain also identified fielding intensity during the middle overs as an area for improvement, while expressing confidence in the team's form.
“Definitely. 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. So hopefully I think this game is going to be a bit better. I think everyone looked well. Even Rohit bhai was looking in good touch, so hopefully it's gonna be another good game for us,” he added.
West Indies captain Shai Hope said his side had made four changes to the playing XI. Justin Greaves, who sustained a calf injury while scoring 101 in the series opener, was ruled out, 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 in their place.
Hope said he would also have preferred to bowl first but stressed that his team needed to make the most of the opportunity to bat and post a competitive total.
“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. So we've got another opportunity today to put some runs on the board and try to get a good score and give our bowlers something to defend. Probably a bit more runs than that, to be fair,” Hope said.
He said the team had focused on identifying areas for improvement and finding solutions despite the short turnaround between matches.
“But just 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 said.
Hope added that the batting unit would need to assess the conditions quickly before deciding on a competitive total.
“So it's about going out there, putting your best foot forward and finding the right solutions to win games. It (the batting line-up) looks pretty good. I just think it'll probably do a little bit to start, but we just have to assess quickly and then see what a good score would be at the back end,” he said.
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 and 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 and Vitel Lawes.