Mohammed Siraj Joins India for NZ 2nd ODI in Wellington; Rain and Nabi Selection Call Loom

Siraj available after India A stint

Mohammed Siraj has joined India’s ODI squad in Wellington ahead of the 2nd ODI against New Zealand on Saturday 7 November 2026 (start 7:30 am IST at Sky Stadium). He missed the series opener in Auckland because he was finishing India A’s second four-day match against New Zealand A at Hagley Oval, where he took 4 for 118 from 35 overs in the only innings he bowled.

ESPNcricinfo and Times of India both confirmed his link-up with the senior white-ball group. Fielding coach Subhadeep Ghosh told media Siraj is available for selection, but the XI call remains with the management.

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Why he sat out Auckland — and why Nabi is in the frame

Prasidh Krishna was ruled out of the five-match ODI series with a hamstring injury, so Siraj was steered through India A red-ball work as part of Test preparation. Jammu & Kashmir seamer Auqib Nabi filled the ODI vacancy and played the 1st ODI, though he went wicketless while Arshdeep Singh (4 for 70), Anshul Kamboj (2 for 22) and Gurnoor Brar (3 for 44) shared the damage in New Zealand’s 185.

Dropping Nabi after one outing would be a hard call after a win. Moneycontrol’s pre-match reporting noted the management rarely makes scattergun changes when a young seamer has just debuted in a successful attack. The toss-up is still Siraj or Nabi if India keep a four-man pace look.

Rain kept both teams indoors on Friday

Steady drizzle in Wellington on Friday forced New Zealand indoors opposite Basin Reserve and led India to cancel their only available turnaround session after the Auckland travel day. Forecasts for match day also carried rain risk — a reminder after the DLS finish in the opener.

Venue, Conway’s absence and Nick Kelly’s call-up are covered in our earlier 2nd ODI preview. This note is the selection and weather update after Siraj’s arrival, not a rehash of that preview.

Series snapshot and what India want from Wellington

India lead 1-0. Virat Kohli’s 74 off 51 sealed the revised chase of 143 in Auckland. Live and completed scores for the five-match rubber stay on our NZ vs IND ODI Series 2026 results page.

Ghosh also praised the fielding standards of Kohli and Rohit Sharma ahead of the Wellington game. For New Zealand, the batting rebuild after Eden Park and the loss of Devon Conway for the remaining ODIs remain the main storylines on their side.

If the weather holds, India’s inexperienced-yet-sharp seam unit will again be asked to set the tone. Siraj’s presence simply gives captain Shubman Gill one more experienced new-ball or middle-overs option when the final XI is written.

What Siraj offers that Nabi does not (yet)

Siraj’s ODI ledger is the known quantity: new-ball reverse, middle-overs hard lengths, and death-over experience across bilateral series. Nabi’s upside is raw pace and a clean debut series window, but one wicketless outing in a low-scoring DLS game is a small sample. Gill’s staff can also keep Nabi as the impact option for Hamilton or later venues if Wellington’s wind and rain demand the more familiar Siraj lengths.

The wider bowling sheet still lists Arshdeep, Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. That depth is why Ghosh could stay non-committal — India are choosing between good problems, not plugging a hole.

Broadcast and timing reminder for IST viewers

Toss and first ball sit early for India: 7:30 am IST on Saturday. If rain truncates overs again, DLS will decide another chapter. We will file a separate result piece only after the official score is confirmed — this article stops at the verified pre-match facts: Siraj’s arrival, the Nabi selection fork, and Friday’s washed training.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo (5–6 Nov 2026) on Siraj joining after 4 for 118 in the second unofficial Test; Times of India (Wellington rain, Ghosh quotes on Siraj availability); The Hindu / Moneycontrol previews of the Siraj–Nabi selection fork; match timing 7:30 am IST at Sky Stadium, Wellington.