'Not much time to experiment': Shubman Gill on World Cup
What's the story
India's ODI captain, Shubman Gill, has stressed the need for a stable squad as they head toward the 2027 World Cup. After India's recent ODI series win against West Indies, Gill emphasized that there's not much time left to experiment with different combinations. He said he wants to field the team that is likely to play in the tournament next time a series comes around. Although India won the series 2-1, they lost the final ODI. India's bowling in the series was under par.
Captain's words
Gill wants to start with World Cup combination
After the final ODI in New Chandigarh, Gill said, "I honestly think there is not that much time to experiment, the combination that we want to play, hopefully, we get all the players that are available from the next series, and the combination that we would like to play in the World Cup, we want to start playing with that combination."
He stressed on starting with the combination they would like to play in the World Cup.
Team hurdles
Gill laments the absence of key players
The captain also expressed his frustration over missing players due to various reasons.
India missed their premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who was part of the team that won gold at the 2026 Asian Games.
Hardik Pandya's injury also kept him out of the series against West Indies.
Gill said these absences have made it difficult to field their preferred bowling lineup.
Silver lining
Opportunity for new bowlers to shine
Despite the challenges, Gill sees the absence of key players as an opportunity for new bowlers to showcase their skills.
He said, "I think it's a good chance for the other players, you know, the players who might have not been in the team had the full-strength bowling lineup been there."
This way, they can prove their mettle and be considered for future matches.
Bowling
India's experiment with bowling attack
It is worth noting that India played a debutant in each of the three West Indies ODIs.
Spin-bowling all-rounder Naman Dhir earned his debut cap in the opener in Thiruvananthapuram.
In the second ODI, J&K seamer Auqib Nabi made his debut, replacing all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Meanwhile, the experienced Mohammed Siraj, who warmed the bench in the two games, finally got to play in the final ODI.
The Chandigarh ODI also saw debutant Anshul Kamboj play.
Fielding concerns
Gill on India's fielding performance
Gill also reflected on India's fielding performance in the series.
He said, "I think we dropped around three or four catches today, and I don't think Shai Hope was dropped."
The captain stressed that dropping catches breaks the team's momentum and their fielding has not been up to the mark throughout this series.