IND vs NZ ODIs: Skipper Gill reveals vision behind India's new-look tall pace attack

India skipper Shubman Gill has revealed the reason for backing pacers like Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar in the ODI squad ahead of the upcoming 2027 ODI World Cup. In the absence of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming five-ODI series against New Zealand, India has included Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, and Auqib Nabi in the squad. Speaking on the eve of the 1st ODI scheduled to be played in Auckland on Wednesday (Nov 4), Gill said tall pacers are backed for their pace and bounce to be used in the middle overs. The strategy stems from South Africa being the venue for next year's ODI World Cup, with pitches expected to have more bounce and pace.

Gill on why India backs lanky pacers

"You can challenge the batter if either there is something in the wicket, if the ball is seaming, then it becomes difficult for the batter to score, or you can challenge the batter with pace and bounce," Gill said.

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"So identifying the kind of bowlers that can make run-scoring difficult for the batters and that can give us the best opportunity to take wickets in the middle overs, that has been the thinking around trying someone like a Gurnoor or a Prasidh, which gives us a bit more than someone who is bowling at maybe 135 [kph] when the wicket is flat.

"If tall fast bowlers can hit the right areas, it is a lot more difficult to score runs than someone who is bowling at 135, 130 [kph]. You have to be really on top of your game to be able to score against someone who is 140 [kph]-plus, who is 6'1", 6'2", 6'3". And there is a lot more risk when you are trying to score freely [against] that kind of bowler."

IND vs NZ ODI series schedule and squads

Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna, who are injured, are not part of the ODI squad, and Nabi has been added to the ODI squad as a replacement for Krishna. India starts the series in Auckland on November 4 before moving to Wellington for the second ODI on November 7. The third ODI is scheduled for November 10 in Hamilton before the final two ODIs in Mount Maunganui on November 13 and 15, respectively.

India's updated squad for the first three ODIs vs New Zealand: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vc), KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Kishan [WK], Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy (only for the first ODI), Auqib Nabi

India's ODI squad for fourth and fifth ODIs vs New Zealand: Shreyas Iyer (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wk, vc), Axar Patel, Naman Dhir, Auqib Nabi, Gurnoor Brar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Arshdeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Mohammed Siraj, Yash Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav