India’s pace attack aims to extend lead over New Zealand in second ODI in Wellington

India will deploy a pace-heavy attack as they aim to extend their series lead over New Zealand in the second ODI in Wellington on Saturday (November 7, 2026), with the visitors looking to build on the performances from the series opener.

India’s four-pronged pace unit — featuring Gurnoor Brar, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh and Auqib Nabi — produced strong returns in the first match, altering early doubts about the country’s untested bowling resources; head coach Gautam Gambhir has, however, remained vocal about his liking for all-rounders. Eden Park’s shorter straight boundaries contrasted with the Hnry Stadium here, where the square boundaries are shorter and pacers will be asked to adjust their lengths accordingly.

Anshul Kamboj stood out for India with 46 dot balls in the opener, rewarded for consistently hitting Test-match lengths, while Arshdeep Singh finished as the team’s leading wicket-taker in Auckland. At Eden Park, Arshdeep and Auqib Nabi had shared the new-ball duties, but the movement Kamboj generated in the first game makes him a candidate for an opening role alongside Arshdeep in Wellington. Auqib Nabi was the only one of the four pacers who went wicketless in the series opener.

There is a selection question over Nabi’s spot, with Mohammed Siraj mentioned as a possible replacement if he is available; the Indian team has otherwise kept its plans close to its chest. "I don't know, the team management will decide that," said fielding coach Shubhadeep Ghosh during the pre-match interaction with the media when asked whether Siraj would get a game.

On the batting front, Rohit Sharma will be expected to recover after his first-over dismissal in the series opener, having arrived in New Zealand on the back of a good run in the home series against the West Indies. Virat Kohli’s fluency at Eden Park was notable as he kept collecting boundaries and anchored India’s chase, but other Indian batters struggled against the short ball—Shreyas Iyer was peppered with bouncers before falling to a rising delivery, and Axar Patel faced similar problems.

New Zealand’s batters also faltered against India’s extra bounce, with skipper Mitchell Santner admitting his side were found wanting in that department after the first ODI. Good carry and bounce are expected at the Wellington ground as well, and the hosts were hit by an injury setback when Devon Conway was ruled out of the series following a concussion sustained in a collision during fielding practice; Blair Tickner said: "Yeah, he's been massive for us, obviously. Crazy event at training, but we're bringing in Kelly, another great player. So it just gives other players an opportunity to stand up, as we have throughout." Matt Henry, the other player involved in the collision, has recovered and is available for the game.

India: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan, Kuldeep Yadav, Naman Dhir.

New Zealand: Mitchell Santner (captain), Tom Seifert, Henry Nicholls, Tom Latham (wk), Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, Matthew Fisher, Matt Henry, Blair Tickner, Nathan Smith.

The second ODI in Wellington is scheduled to start at 7.30 a.m. IST on Saturday, November 7, 2026.