India's next ODI assignment will be in New Zealand where the two sides will play a 5-match series.
India captain Shubman Gill has stated that experimentation time is over and that he wants to play with the combination he wants for the World Cup from the next series onwards. Gill’s words came after India won the three-match ODI series against West Indies 2-1 on October 3, 2026.
While India had won the first two ODIs in Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati, the West Indies avoided a whitewash by winning the third ODI in New Chandigarh. India had won the toss and chosen to bat first.
India struggled a bit, but thanks to Rohit Sharma’s 92 and KL Rahul’s stupendous 129*, they put 351/7 in 50 overs. In response, Windies captain Shai Hope made 162*, and Amir Jangoo’s 67 helped them win the game by 5 wickets.
India chose this series as an experimentation ground: every bowling option available in the squad was tried, as Auqib Nabi and Anshul Kamboj made their ODI debuts. However, Nabi went for 84 runs in 8.5 overs, and Kamboj conceded 82 runs in his 9 overs. On the other hand, Gurnoor Brar took 3 wickets in the series by conceding 220 runs.
Gill, however, said that going forward, they would like to play lineups as close to their World Cup combinations as possible, as the experimentation phase was over. India will next travel to New Zealand for a series consisting of five ODIs, five T20Is and two Tests.
“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 at the post-match press conference, quoted by ANI.
This was an indication of how fast the captain was trying to bring the team out of the experimental phase and select their preferred players, referring to it as “unfortunate” that, owing to injuries and other engagements (the Asian Games, in this case), the team has not been able to “field the bowling lineup that we would like to”.
Gill conceded that “who gets injured and who gets selected is not in our hands”, but in any case, the series provided an opportunity for the reserve players to come through, “players who might not have made the team had the full-strength bowling line-up in there.”
Nitish Kumar Reddy was a direct swap for Hardik Pandya but didn’t make an impact with the bat or the ball. With Rana injured, India has also been looking at a bowling all-rounder at No. 8. Prasidh Krishna’s injury in the second ODI happened to give them a chance to try out two players who fit that role.
“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,” Gill said.
Gill viewed it as an opportunity to keep backups ready in case injuries hit the team closer to the tournament.
“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 added.
With Axar Patel and Washington Sundar away for Asian Games 2026 duty, Ravindra Jadeja got a chance to get back in the scheme of things in ODIs. He picked three wickets in two games but was benched from the third and final match.
“When it’s only a three-match series, it becomes very difficult to give experience to players sitting outside. In the future, I think we will discuss with the selectors. Keeping the World Cup in mind, we will keep the players in the squad who can provide more with their skill set,” Gill said when asked how Jadeja will fit into the combination once Axar and Sundar return.
After the New Zealand tour, India will have an ODI series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe at home. There are also proposed series against a few more teams, including in South Africa, before the 2027 Cricket World Cup begins.
(ANI inputs)