After India wrapped up the ODI series against the West Indies, Shubman Gill, the team’s captain shared his thoughts on their performance and where they need to improve.
Even though India took the series 2-1 they slipped up in the third ODI losing by five wickets.
Gill was clear about one thing—he’s backing Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He said both are looking good with the bat and singled out KL Rahul for his contributions too. “They are both batting very well. Rohit bhai has scored his third century in the last four innings. He is batting very well. Virat bhai is also in good form. Whenever KL Rahul has got an opportunity, he has done a good job for the team and batted brilliantly.”
When pressed about rotating senior players and giving fresh faces a go, Gill didn’t see much room for more experimentation. “To be honest, there is not much time left for experimentation. Hopefully, all our available players will play from the next series. It is important to start playing with the combination we want to take into the World Cup.”
Fielding, on the other hand, remains a major headache. Gill admitted the team dropped far too many catches—six or seven in total. “Our fielding can be much better. We dropped six or seven catches throughout the series. This is not a good sign before the World Cup. You want your fielding to be top class.” With the World Cup closing in, it’s a concern they’ll need to fix and fast.
India’s death bowling is another area that’s still up in the air. Gill said the team sometimes isn’t sure whether to go on the attack or defend after the opposition has lost several wickets. “Sometimes we are not clear whether we need to attack or defend, especially in the death overs. If the opposition has lost five or six wickets, you are not sure what field to set. Are we starting death bowling too early, or are we still bowling as we do in the middle overs?” That confusion cost them, especially in high-pressure moments.
Another turning point in the final match? India’s slow over rate. They fell behind and, by the last few overs, were only allowed four fielders outside the circle instead of five. Gill felt that swung the match. “I think the match was under our control. But we were four overs behind, and they took advantage of that at the end to snatch the match from us. If we had completed the overs on time, the match might have gone down to the final over.”
It’s also worth noting that India played this series without their first-choice bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah was at the Asian Games and Hardik Pandya is out injured. Siraj only played one match. That gave newcomers like Anshul Kamboj, Gurnoor Brar, Naman Dhir and Akeib Nabi a shot at the death overs.
As for Gill himself, he walked away with the Player of the Series award piling up 334 runs in just three games—including an unbeaten double hundred chasing a mammoth target in Guwahati. He fell early in the final ODI, though, and credited Shai Hope for an excellent catch. “Whenever you are dismissed early, it is disappointing. But I don’t think I could have done much about that delivery.”
The West Indies had Shai Hope to thank for their win in the third game; his unbeaten 162 saw them chase down 352 in just 48.2 overs. Hope’s performance stood out, and he credited MS Dhoni’s advice for helping him focus on the right process. For India, the focus now shifts to New Zealand as they look to lock in their World Cup combination and tidy up the rough edges.