SRINAGAR: India captain Shubman Gill has indicated that Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder Auqib Nabi remains in contention for the national side despite an expensive outing in the ODI series against the West Indies, saying players given opportunities during the series would continue to be considered.
Nabi made his ODI debut in the second match of the series on September 30 in Guwahati, with India already having secured the three-match series. Gill said the team’s injury concerns and scheduling constraints also created an opportunity to assess players who might otherwise have had limited chances.
“We honestly don’t think there is that much time to experiment,” Gill said, underlining the limited window available to India to settle its preferred combination before the World Cup.
Gill said India were unable to field the bowling attack they would ideally have wanted in the final ODI, but viewed the circumstances as an opportunity to assess Nabi and fellow debutant Anshul Kamboj.
Asked about the two debutants, Gill said both would remain in consideration, suggesting their performances had not ruled them out of future opportunities.
India had already sealed the series before the final match and eventually won it 2-1, despite losing the decider by five wickets.
Nabi, India’s 265th ODI player, became the third cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to represent India in international cricket after Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik. He is also the first men’s ODI bowler from the region to play for India.
For his debut, Gill opted to bowl after winning the toss and brought Nabi into the XI in place of all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. Nabi received his maiden India cap from KL Rahul.
The pacer endured a difficult introduction to international cricket, conceding 84 runs in 8.5 overs at an economy rate of 9.50 as the West Indies posted 405/7, their first ODI total above 400.
