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 because of a quadricep issue, with the medical staff closely tracking his recovery.“Nitish Kumar Reddy was unavailable 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.The injury forced India into a reshuffle as captain Shubman Gill revealed that the hosts were compelled to field only five bowling options for the contest.Leading the three-match series 1-0 after their victory in the opener, India made three changes to the side, bringing in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kuldeep Yadav, while fast bowler Prince Yadav was handed his international debut following an impressive IPL 2026 campaign for Lucknow Super Giants.

Gill would have preferred to bowl first

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and opted to bowl first on a fresh-looking surface at the Ekana Stadium.Interestingly, Gill admitted India would also have chosen to chase had they won the toss.“Honestly, we would have bowled first as well because of our combination. We were forced to play with only five bowlers in this match,” Gill said at the toss.The India skipper stressed that the series was as much about preparing for challenging situations as it was about securing results.“If you’re chasing, have the habit of chasing 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 make changes amid injury concerns

Afghanistan too were hit by fitness issues ahead of the match. Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi missed the game through illness, while Azmatullah Omarzai was ruled out after suffering an injury during a training session.As a result, the visitors made three changes, with Darwish Rasooli and Bilal Sami receiving their maiden ODI caps.Shahidi said Afghanistan had learned valuable lessons from the opening defeat and hoped his side would show greater consistency after failing to build partnerships despite Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s century in Dharamsala.With the series on the line, both teams entered the contest with fresh faces and renewed challenges.

IND vs AFG Playing XIs