India's Predicted XI vs NZ, 2nd ODI: Gautam Gambhir's Badoni vs Reddy Call Set To Trigger Debate

After a clinical four-wicket victory in the series opener at Vadodara, a confident Indian side led by Shubman Gill arrives in Rajkot with their sights set on sealing the three-match ODI series against New Zealand. However, the team management has been handed a significant blow as all-rounder Washington Sundar has been ruled out of the remainder of the series due to a rib injury. Replacing the all-rounder is going to be a headache for head coach Gautam Gambhir, who has to choose one player between Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ayush Badoni, who was given a maiden ODI call-up after Sundar's injury.

The Badoni vs Reddy Debate: The BCCI selection committee has named Delhi's Ayush Badoni as Sundar's replacement in the squad. Badoni, who has been in scintillating form in the domestic circuit, offers a like-for-like replacement with his ability to bowl handy off-spin. However, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has suggested an "out-of-the-box" move, urging the management to consider Arshdeep Singh to bolster the pace attack on a flat deck, even if it shortens the batting tail.

The primary contender for the role, however, is Nitish Kumar Reddy, the pace-bowling all-rounder who was named in the initial squad. If the management looks ahead to the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, Reddy's seam-up options might be preferred over an extra spinner.

In all likelihood, however, the decision will be either Reddy or Badoni. The rest of the team is expected to be unchanged, with the focus being on the veteran duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli who looked in fine touch in the first ODI. No matter which player is picked, the decision is set to trigger debate over, especially as it would indicate how coach Gambhir sees the team's ODI future. 

Kohli, who struck a masterful 93, is on the verge of another milestone, while Shreyas Iyer needs just 34 runs to become the fastest Indian to reach 3,000 ODI runs, potentially surpassing Shikhar Dhawan.

There was some debate around the exclusion of Arshdeep Singh from the first ODI team but he is expected to warm the bench in this game too.

India's likely playing XI, 2nd ODI: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk) Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team New Zealand Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir Nitish Kumar Reddy Ayush Badoni India vs New Zealand 2026 Cricket