IND vs AFG: Why Nitish Kumar Reddy not playing second ODI against Afghanistan?

ByTech Word News

Nitish Kumar Reddy (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: India suffered an injury setback ahead of the second ODI against Afghanistan in Lucknow on Wednesday, with all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy ruled out of the match due to a sore left thigh.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that the 23-year-old was unavailable for selection due to a quadriceps problem, with medical staff closely monitoring his recovery.“Nitish Kumar Reddy was not available for selection for the second ODI due to a sore left thigh. The BCCI medical team is monitoring his progress,” the board said in a statement.Injuries forced India to regroup as captain Shubman Gill revealed the hosts were forced to field just five bowling options in the contest.Leading the three-match series 1-0 after winning the opening match, India made three changes to the side as they brought in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kuldeep Yadav, while fast bowler Prince Yadav earned his international debut after an impressive IPL 2026 campaign for Lucknow Super Giants.

Gill would rather play first

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and opted to bowl first on the fresh surface at the Ekana Stadium.Interestingly, Gill conceded that India would also opt to chase if they won the toss.“Honestly, with our combination, we would have been batting first as well. We were forced to field only five bowlers in this match,” Gill said at the toss.The Indian skipper emphasized that the series was as much about preparing for tough situations as it was about securing results.“If you’re chasing, make it a habit to chase big scores and if you’re defending, how can we defend low totals and how clinical can we be with our bowling,” he added.

Afghanistan made the changes due to injury concerns

Afghanistan were also hit by fitness issues before the match. Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi missed the match due to illness while Azmatullah Omarzai was ruled out after picking up an injury in training.As a result, the visitors made three changes, with Darwish Rasooli and Bilal Sami receiving their first ODI caps.Shahidi said Afghanistan had learned from the opening defeat and hoped his side would show more consistency after failing to build a partnership despite Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s century in Dharamsala.With the series on the line, both teams entered the contest with new faces and renewed challenges.

IND vs AFG Playing XI

  • India: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav.
  • Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Darwish Rasooli, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharoti, AM Ghazanfar, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Bilal Sami