India’s Rohit Sharma and skipper Shubman Gill (ANI Photo)
Even today we lost two wickets in the power play but we still managed to get 350 on the board,” Gill spelt out his concerns. 8. 8. 8, Anshul can do the job.
Gill also revealed that the team management is looking for a pacer who can be a capable batter at No.
So, we want to see which players can deliver under pressure,” Gill said. New Chandigarh: If one takes a quick scan of India’s ODI resources for next year’s World Cup in South Africa, the pace cupboard wears a bare and fragile look. There’s only Jasprit Bumrah who truly commands a place in the XI. The rest are either on trial or nursing injuries. Mohammed Siraj has gone off the boil dramatically, losing the confidence of the team management. The other ‘experienced’ pacer in the ranks, Prasidh Krishna, was still in the process of establishing his credentials before breaking down in the second ODI. TOI understands that the team management has identified Gurnoor Brar as a strong prospect in South African conditions. But Gill doesn’t seem to be in any mood to be in the experimental phase. “I honestly think there is not 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. The combination that we would like to play in the World Cup, we want to start playing with that combination,” he stated. Here’s the catch. The next series is a five-ODI affair in New Zealand, which will be followed by a two-Test series. Precariously placed in the World Test Championship table, the team management intends to pull out the Test regulars after the third ODI. That would mean Bumrah, Krishna and Siraj will not be available for the entire series. There’s a strong chance Brar, too, could be pulled out. “Bowling in the power play and in the death have hurt us. If you don’t get off to a good start in the power play, it’s not easy to take wickets in the middle overs. It’s not easy to create chances with only four fielders outside the ring. The intensity of the game is completely different if you don’t keep taking wickets either in the power play or in the middle overs. That’s why this series has been so high scoring. It’s not just about the new-ball bowlers. Recurring injuries to Harshit Rana have compounded Gill’s problems. Which is why Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj were handed debuts in this series. “Anshul and Auqib are going to be in the mix a lot. Anshul is someone who can also bat at No. 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 No. And even Aqib can bat a bit and do the job. Gill also made his displeasure about the fielding standards of the team clear. The Indian team’s fielding has worsened over the last eight months.