His inclusion in the squad for the opening fixtures comes directly in the wake of Prasidh Krishna being ruled out of the entire series due to a hamstring injury. The ongoing changes leave the selection committee relying on the in-form paceman earlier than initially planned for the tour.

The upcoming five-match ODI series between India and New Zealand is scheduled to run from November 4 to November 15. Following the conclusion of the one-day matches, the two touring sides will transition into a two-test series commencing on November 19.

Nabi earned his maiden international call-up earlier this year during the test series against Sri Lanka in August, where he replaced Jasprit Bumrah in the squad. That opportunity followed an impressive domestic campaign in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, where he claimed 60 wickets.

The 29-year-old subsequently made his official India debut during the second one-day international against the West Indies in Guwahati. His initial outing proved difficult as he finished wicketless after conceding 84 runs across 8.5 overs against the visiting side.

India's updated squad for the first three matches features Shubman Gill as captain alongside Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer. The team also includes wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, and Ruturaj Gaikwad.

The remaining players named for the opening segment of the series comprise Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav. Nitish Kumar Reddy has also been included in the squad specifically for the first match of the series.

Meanwhile, the squad selected for the final two matches of the tour retains Shreyas Iyer alongside Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Tilak Varma. Ishan Kishan remains in the side alongside Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, and Gurnoor Brar.

The remainder of the group for the fourth and fifth ODIs includes Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra, Mohammed Siraj, and Yash Thakur. Kuldeep Yadav rounds out the bowling options selected for the concluding encounters of the tour.