New Chandigarh, October 4, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India captain Shubman Gill has stressed that the team needs to start playing with its preferred World Cup combination from the next series, saying there is limited time left for experimentation ahead of the global tournament, which is now a year away.
India’s 2-1 ODI series win over the West Indies provided opportunities for several backup players, as a number of first-choice cricketers were unavailable due to the Asian Games, injuries and scheduling commitments.
Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar were on Asian Games duty, while Hardik Pandya and Prasidh Krishna were sidelined by injuries. Harshit Rana was also unavailable, forcing India to field a mix of regulars and reserve players during the series.
The situation opened opportunities for players such as Ruturaj Gaikwad, Naman Dhir, Anshul Kamboj and Auqib Nabi to showcase their abilities.
Speaking after India’s five-wicket defeat in the third ODI, Gill said the absence of the preferred bowling attack had given other players a chance to prove themselves. However, he acknowledged that injuries and scheduling were beyond the team’s control.
Gill said India would ideally have its first-choice players available from the next series so the team could begin building the combination it intends to field at the World Cup.
“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.
India’s next assignment is an away all-format series against New Zealand, featuring five ODIs, five T20Is and two Tests.
Gill also backed debutants Anshul Kamboj and Auqib Nabi, despite their difficult outings in the series. He said both bowlers would remain in contention and highlighted Kamboj’s ability to contribute with the bat at No. 8, a position he described as crucial for the team.
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