Frustrated by India’s frequent setbacks, Shubman Gill sends out a strong message
India ODI captain Shubman Gill has expressed his frustration over his team’s growing injury concerns and questioned whether the players are taking their fitness seriously enough ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
This was followed by Gill’s remarks India slumped to a 27-run defeat against England in the third ODI at Lord’s on Sunday to hand the hosts a 2-1 series win. The Indian captain was particularly concerned about the number of players who were unavailable during the tour as injuries forced the team management to repeatedly change their combinations.
Even before the start of the ODI series, India suffered major setbacks. Race-bowling all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Nitish Reddy have been ruled out due to injury, depriving the side of two key options. Young all-rounder Harshit Rana then tore his hamstring during the previous T20I series, ruling him out of the one-day leg of the tour.
India’s problems worsened as the series progressed. Washington Sundar complained of a hamstring problem during the second ODI Jasprit Bumrah sustained an injury on impact in the same match and missed the umpire at Lord’s.
“Yes, absolutely,” Gill said when asked if the growing injury list was becoming a problem.
“If you look at the line-up, the first line-up we announced, at least five players didn’t play this game. So one player gets injured, you try to play a different combination. There are two players, a different combination. But I think if we’re missing a player after every game, we’re missing a few tricks somewhere,” he added.
GILL IS CONCERNED ABOUT INDIAN WC PREPARATION
Gill’s biggest concern is the effect the injuries could have on India’s preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The tournament may require teams to play up to 11 matches if they advance to the finals.
“If we keep the World Cup in mind, we have to play 11 matches in a row. And here the players are not able to complete even 2-3 series of matches. So there is something missing that our players are not able to play the matches continuously,” said Gill.
The skipper also expressed frustration at the uncertainty caused by late fitness issues and revealed that the team management was often forced to make last-minute decisions.
“They play one or two games. If there’s some teasing or something like that, then we’re forced to play a different combination. So after seeing all these things, it’s kind of hard that one day in the morning when you find out that player is stupid and then it’s almost like, do you want to take a chance?” he asked.
“Somebody’s 80 per cent fit, you’re playing with five bowlers … it’s tough. But I think somewhere, as a group, I don’t know that our fitness or all those things need improvement,” Gill concluded.
Despite the series defeat, India would be buoyed by Rohit Sharma’s return to form in the ODI final. The captain smashed 138 off 110 balls, hitting 17 fours and five sixes, although his efforts ultimately proved insufficient to prevent England from sealing the series.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
20 Jul 2026 16:25 IST