Nitish enters Team India, Lennox gets a chance to make his ODI debut

Rajkot: India won the toss and elected to bowl first against New Zealand in the second ODI at the Niranjan Shah Stadium on Wednesday, with fast-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy included in the playing XI.
India lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the series opener in Vadodara. Nitish Kumar Reddy has been included in the playing XI after off-spin bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar was ruled out of the series due to a left rib injury and was assessed by the BCCI medical team.
“Looking back on the last few games, we would have actually preferred to bat first. There wasn’t much dew yesterday, and the players feel the surface slows down as the innings progress, so batting first seemed like the better option. Personally, I really enjoyed the last game – there was rhythm and fluency, and it’s always nice to contribute. Hopefully, I can build on that today and have a big game.”
“The middle overs were crucial for us last time. They started well, but the way we came back – especially the wickets the fast bowlers took in those overs – made a big difference. It’s not always easy in these conditions, but he mixed his pace and variations really well,” said India captain Shubman Gill.
Meanwhile, New Zealand have given a debut to left-arm spinner Jaden Lennox, who comes into the playing XI in place of leg-spinner Aditya Ashok. “It looks like a really good pitch, and hopefully there will be dew later in the evening, which will make things a little better for batting under lights.”
“The last game was tough, and I’m proud of how the boys fought until the end. We gave ourselves a chance by taking some wickets in the end, and today we want to keep taking wickets in the middle and build that pressure.
“There are a lot of young players in this team, and playing in front of a big crowd and all that noise is a great learning experience for them. New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell said, “It’s different conditions for us here, especially with 40,000 people supporting the home team, but it’s a challenge we’re really looking forward to.”
Playing XI
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Hay (wicketkeeper), Michael Bracewell (captain), Zachary Foulkes, Jayden Lennox, Kyle Jamieson, and Christian Clarke