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The highest wicket-taker of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26, Auqib Nabi, is likely to get another chance with the India national cricket team in the ongoing series against the West Indies national cricket team, as the series and the upcoming ODIs will be part of the 2027 ODI World Cup preparations.
Like Auqib Nabi, a few other players could also get their opportunities to showcase their skills with the Indian cricket team in the next few months. As the Men in Blue are in the process of exploring the best possible set of players, they don't want to leave any stone unturned.
More fresh talents are likely to play for Team India
India national cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that they will try to introduce fresh talent until the series against Zimbabwe. With two back-to-back wins, Team India has already won the ODI series against West Indies. Auqib Nabi is expected to play the third match as well, which is a dead rubber.
The India vs West Indies three-match ODI series has so far seen the debuts of Naman Dhir and Auqib Nabi. While Dhir made his Team India debut in the 1st ODI match, Auqib Nabi debuted on September 30, in the second match of the bilateral series. However, the match in Guwahati was not the best for the Jammu and Kashmir pacer. He went for 84 runs off 8.5 overs, without taking a wicket.
Auqib Nabi is likely to play in the India vs West Indies 3rd ODI match
Gautam Gambhir mentioned in his comment that bowlers need to perform under pressure, as tournaments like the ODI World Cup are all about pressure.
"Just like Auqib got an opportunity today, we will similarly try, at least until the Zimbabwe series, to give other people an opportunity and see what they can offer us in this format. We could have given Auqib a chance in the next match too, when it's a dead rubber, but in a dead rubber, you don't have the pressure that comes with the pressure of winning a series. And we all know that the World Cup is all about pressure," Gautam Gambhir said.
"Cricket isn't going to change like that; only the pressure will be different because the World Cup comes once every four years, so we want to put bowlers under pressure," he added.
Gautam Gambhir backs Gurnoor Brar
In the high-scoring match on Wednesday, both teams scored over 400 runs, and the bowlers had a tough day. Gurnoor Brar also endured a forgettable day, leaking 96 runs off his 10 overs despite taking two wickets. In support of the bowlers, the head coach said that the bowlers will learn more if they continue to bowl, especially during the challenging moments of the games.
"Having Gurnoor bowl in the first 10 overs, bowling at the death, I know people will talk about his analysis, but the more he bowls in tough conditions, in tough situations, the better it is for Indian cricket. Because you can have him bowl in the middle overs and get good analysis or good stats for him; make him bowl defensively, but the more we expose them at such times, the better it is for Indian cricket," Gautam Gambhir said.
