Former cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that head coach Gautam Gambhir was simply describing the situation while addressing the lack of support for ODI captain Shubman Gill in terms of squad strength recently. The ace batter has had a difficult year as captain, losing three series in a row while also dealing with several injuries.
Shubman Gill has had inconsistent access to great players such as Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, making it difficult to produce results. During his last assignment in the format against England, India lost several players to injury. The series eventually finished 2-1 in favor of Harry Brook and company.
"It's not fair on a young captain as well if he doesn't get the best team playing consistently and regularly and not being on par consistently, if I have to be dead honest. Yes, I can, as a coach. I can take all the criticism, but for me, I think it is important for Shubman to get the best playing at 11 as many times as he can in red-ball and in white-ball format and a few more formats as well," Gambhir said after the 3-0 series win over Afghanistan.
Shubman Gill will also be managing a second-string bowling unit for the West Indies ODIs at home. Thanks to the Asian Games 2026, first-choice pacers Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah are with the Indian team in Japan.
Aakash Chopra agreed with Gautam Gambhir, opining that the situation has not been ideal for Shubman Gill.
"He's (Gambhir) not wrong; the story has now become such that you cannot get the entire team available. Sometimes someone gets injured, sometimes someone is unavailable, and sometimes it is workload management. I don't think he is hinting at anyone or anything. To get a fully prepared and available team for all formats is becoming impossible," Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
The home ODI series between India and the West Indies will begin on September 27, Sunday, in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Indian team’s preparation and performances, especially on overseas assignments, get affected due to injuries and unavailability of players. Even in the recent Test series between Sri Lanka and India, Shubman Gill had to do without the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Sai Sudharsan, and Washington Sundar due to injuries.
"You don't get the full opportunity to prepare. It has also been discussed that if you are going to play in SENA countries, do you have enough time to prepare? That preparation is very important. You should prepare well and then try to play with your best full-strength side. So, Shubman Gill sometimes feels hard done by. He must be feeling, "I am playing, but I don't have my main bowlers. "If you look at the team for the West Indies ODIs, it is not a full-strength team," Aakash Chopra said.
India had also faced an injury crisis after Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy broke down right after recovering from their previous injuries during the tour of England.
