India captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bowl first against the West Indies in the second match of the three-game series at the ACA Stadium in Barsapara on Wednesday. India lead the series 1-0 after an eight-wicket victory in the opening match in Thiruvananthapuram. A win in Guwahati would give India an unassailable 2-0 lead with one match remaining.

The match marks the international debut of Jammu & Kashmir all-rounder Auqib Nabi, who has replaced Nitish Kumar Reddy in India's playing XI. Nabi took 60 wickets during Jammu & Kashmir's Ranji Trophy-winning campaign earlier this year and had previously received an India call-up for the Test series in Sri Lanka without making an appearance. He becomes the third player from Jammu & Kashmir to represent India after Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik.

Gill explained that the pitch appeared to have more grass and some patchy areas, which could offer assistance to fast bowlers early in the innings. He also pointed to the hotter and more humid conditions in Guwahati as another challenge for India's pace attack. The India captain added that the team wanted to improve its intensity in the field during the middle overs after identifying it as an area that needed improvement in the opening match.

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The West Indies have made four changes to their side for the second game. Justin Greaves misses out after suffering a calf injury while scoring a century in the first match, while Jewel Andrew, Matthew Forde and Gudakesh Motie have also been left out. Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Shamar Joseph and Vitel Lawes come into the playing XI as the visitors look to level the series.

West Indies captain Shai Hope said his team would have preferred to field first as well, but stressed the importance of adapting to the conditions and putting up a competitive total. He said the visitors would look to assess the pitch quickly before determining what would constitute a strong score. India have retained a strong batting and bowling combination, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna among the key names in the XI.

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