Archive · 24 Sep 2026
Gambhir Backs Gill as Senior Stars Aid India’s ODI Plans
Shubman Gill is India’s captain in one-day and Test cricket.
Gautam Gambhir is India’s head coach.
Gambhir said Gill gets useful advice from former captains Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
He said choosing a team can be especially hard for a young captain when famous senior players are involved.
Gambhir believes Gill has made good decisions so far.
Gill has won six of the 12 one-day matches he has captained.
India has also lost recent one-day series against England, Australia and New Zealand.
Gambhir still thinks Gill’s results can improve.
India will use upcoming matches against the West Indies and New Zealand to prepare for the 2027 World Cup.
Gambhir also said some players may need breaks from one-day matches to prepare for Tests.
Gautam Gambhir said Shubman Gill is fortunate to receive on- and off-field help from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Gambhir said Gill has handled the difficult task of leaving senior players out of India’s playing eleven well.
Gill has won six of the 12 ODIs he has led and India have lost series against England, Australia and New Zealand.
Gambhir backed Gill to improve in ODI cricket after a difficult run of results.
India’s West Indies and New Zealand series will form part of preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
- Who
- India head coach Gautam Gambhir discussed captain Shubman Gill and the support provided by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
- What
- Gambhir said Gill has handled difficult selection decisions well and should improve after a challenging ODI run.
- When
- The comments were reported on September 23; the West Indies series was scheduled to begin on Sunday.
- Where
- The West Indies series was scheduled to begin in Thiruvananthapuram, while the New Zealand series will be played away from home.
- Why
- India is shifting focus to ODI cricket and preparing for the 2027 World Cup, while also managing player workloads before Test matches.
Continuity-first approach
Rotation-for-preparation approach
Managing players across formats
Continuity-first approach
Gautam Gambhir said continuity in international cricket is important and ideally as many players as possible should play all three formats.
Rotation-for-preparation approach
Gambhir said some batters may need breaks from white-ball cricket to prepare for Tests, particularly with only two days of training before the New Zealand Test series.
Building the 2027 World Cup team
Continuity-first approach
Gambhir described Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as important parts of India’s ODI plans and valuable sources of help for Shubman Gill.
Rotation-for-preparation approach
The reports said Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are facing pressure to retain their places ahead of the 2027 World Cup, while Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya were unavailable or limited for the West Indies series.
- India head coach
- Gautam Gambhir
- ODI and Test captain
- Shubman Gill
- Gill’s ODI captaincy record
- Six wins in 12 matches
- Senior players mentioned
- Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
- Upcoming West Indies series
- Three matches, beginning in Thiruvananthapuram
- Upcoming New Zealand series
- Five matches away from home
- Target tournament
- 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia
