As India begin to shift their attention towards the 2027 ODI World Cup, head coach Gautam Gambhir believes captain Shubman Gill has a valuable advantage
in his leadership journey with the presence and experience of former captains Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
With just over a year remaining before the 50-over World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, Gill will be expected to lead India's preparations in the format while continuing to benefit from the experience of two of the country's most accomplished modern-day batters.
India's ODI campaign resumes with a three-match series against the West Indies, beginning on Sunday in Thiruvananthapuram. The team will subsequently travel to New Zealand for a crucial five-match ODI series as part of its World Cup preparation.
Gambhir believes Gill can draw significantly from Rohit and Kohli, both of whom remain part of India's ODI setup.
"In ODIs, he (Gill) is very fortunate that he has got the likes of Rohit and Virat to help him on and off the field. Leaving out anyone in Indian cricket from the playing eleven is always going to be tough," Gambhir told JioStar.
The head coach also acknowledged the difficulty of making selection calls in a team packed with established players, particularly for a relatively young captain.
"But when you have to do that as a young captain, it is probably the toughest job for any coach and captain to do it. So far, he has done that. He has actually ticked all the boxes," he added.
Gill's leadership has come at a time when India are managing the transition between generations. While the youngster has established himself as a key batter across formats, his ODI captaincy is still developing.
India's recent ODI results have also underlined the challenges ahead. They suffered away-series defeats against England and Australia and also lost their home series against New Zealand.
However, Gambhir remains confident that Gill can turn his fortunes around in the 50-over format.
"I feel that he has done all the right things. he has had a bit of a tough time in one-Day cricket. But I am sure, I think things will turn around because he has done all the right things," Gambhir said.
With the West Indies series followed by the New Zealand tour, Gill and India now have an important stretch of ODI cricket to establish combinations and build towards the 2027 World Cup.
