India captain Shubman Gill has declared that the period of experimentation is over and that he wants India to begin playing with their preferred World Cup combinations as soon as possible. Gill made the remarks after India concluded their three-match ODI series against West Indies with a 2-1 victory, the final game ending on October 3, 2026.
West Indies chased down 352 under lights in the third ODI, with Shai Hope scoring an unbeaten 162 to seal the win for the visitors. Despite losing the dead rubber, India had already secured the series.
“I honestly don’t think there is 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,” Gill said, speaking in the post-match press conference.
Why did India use Kamboj and Nabi in the series?
India were forced into bowling changes during the series after Prasidh Krishna was injured in the second ODI, which gave the team an opportunity to try out players for the bowling all-rounder role at number eight. Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana were also unavailable due to injury, with Nitish Kumar Reddy considered a direct replacement for Pandya. India also left out Ravindra Jadeja for the third game, reinforcing their fast bowling options instead.
Anshul Kamboj was brought in directly from an India A game in Puducherry to make his debut in the third ODI, opening the bowling alongside Mohammed Siraj. He finished with figures of 0-82 in nine overs. Auqib Nabi had featured in the previous game, conceding 35 runs in three overs during the Powerplay and finishing with 0-84. Gill backed both players despite their difficult outings.
“But it’s a little bit harsh on them. It’s not easy to come and be able to deliver straight away. In international cricket, sometimes you require a bit of time. Very few players just come in and start delivering for the team. And I hope that they learn from their mistakes, from the opportunities that they get. Anshul and Auqib are the kind of players who are going to be in the mix a lot. (With Prasidh injured) we had an opportunity to experiment with another player with the series being in the bag. So, we wanted to take that opportunity. And Anshul is someone who can also bat at number 8. And that number is very crucial for us. We don’t know who will be fit at the World Cup. And if we want someone who can bowl and can bat a bit at number 8, Anshul can do the job. And even Auqib can bat a bit and do the job,” he said.
How did India’s fielding and bowling hold up across the series?
India’s bowling came under pressure throughout the three-match series, with the team conceding a combined 1052 runs across the three ODIs, though this figure is subject to match-by-match verification. The third ODI alone saw West Indies successfully chase 352, underlining the scale of the challenge India’s bowlers faced. Gill was candid about the fielding standards, describing them as “not up to the mark” over the course of the series. The captain stressed the importance of fielding support for the bowling unit.
“I think in the whole series we dropped around seven catches if I’m not wrong. And even in the field today we gave away many runs, we were quite sloppy. We need to be at the peak of our powers especially when we’re in the field. It’s not easy for the bowlers so the fielders can help a lot and if the wicket is not helping much for the bowlers and our fielding being substandard, it’s a difficult job for the bowlers,” Gill said.
