CHENNAI: World Cup cycles are hard to switch to. With an ICC event almost every year across formats, teams often prioritise the next big ICC event and build towards that. India have tried to do that consistently over the last few years — ODIs in 2023, T20Is since then till 2026 March, and Tests in between.
While the Afghanistan ODIs at home served as a trial run of sorts without Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, in England the Men in Blue will kick off their road towards the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. If there were any doubts, skipper Shubman Gill, who believes the ODI WC is the most prestigious of all WCs, cleared the air on the eve of the first ODI against England in Edgbaston on Monday.
Gill, who assumed captaincy duties in the ODI format late last year, felt every series from here on would be about working out the combinations and preparation for conditions in South Africa. "The preparation for the World Cup is different. Our mindset is that the combination and the wickets that we will get in South Africa will be closer to what we will play here. We will try to find a combination that is good for us. So, it is a very important series for us," the skipper said.
However, the road is not as straightforward. India are still plagued by injuries to their all-rounders. Hardik Pandya is not in the team. Nitish K Reddy is injured. Harshit Rana came back from injury only to join the list again. Kuldeep Yadav seems out of confidence and wickets. Above all of them, the biggest talking point is Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's future in the team.
For starters, Gill cleared up at least one part of the long list as he was seen having a long discussion with Kohli in the days leading up to the first ODI. Asked what the intense one-on-one conversation was about, Gill said: "We were talking about the combinations. Which combination can be best for us in South Africa? Which players are like that? Who might not be in the team right now, but can help us in the future? Which bowlers are like that? Which all-rounders are like that? Which spinners are like that? So, we were talking about all of that."
While Kohli himself has crushed any kind of doubts over his place in the next year ODI WC with his stellar batting in the last ten months, Gill seems to have sealed the deal. As far as Rohit, there was no direct question, but the skipper reiterated that both the seniors remain the backbone of India's batting line-up and their experience will be pivotal to the team. "Virat bhai and Rohit bhai have been the backbone of the Indian batting lineup for the past decade and they remain a very integral part of our team. The experience and the skill that they bring to the team is obviously very valuable. We have seen what they have done over the past decade in different conditions, repetitively, consistently, in number of matches, different tournaments, different occasions," the 26-year-old said.
For India, while the top five picks itself with Rohit, Gill, Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul, the all-rounder slots and their fitness remains a concern. In the bowling line-up, Bumrah is back and Mohammed Siraj is always in the scheme of things. Pandya's return and Kuldeep's form are to be kept an eye on, but more importantly, India will look to gain some momentum in the format that is not played as much as it used to be. Till next April, India have 12 ODIs — England and New Zealand away from home; Sri Lanka and West Indies in India — to put together the main 15 and the back up options. There might be an ODI Asia Cup and a few bilaterals before the WC, but how they rotate the players to give a chance — take the case of Yashasvi Jaiswal who has been perennially waiting — while maintaining stability and results will be key. These 14 months also allow Gill to make this team his own as he is yet to stamp his authority as captain in this format where he has three other former skippers in the XI.
"You play 11 matches in the World Cup. And usually we play five matches or three matches in a series. So, playing three matches and 11 matches is a big difference. We were a bit unfortunate, Reddy got injured before the series. Harshit Rana is injured. Players like these, we wanted to give them as many matches as possible before the WC. When it's their turn, they feel settled. But it's not like it's an unsettled XI. There are some areas where we wanted our players to get more experience in such a big series like England or New Zealand. So, if the players get more chances in such a big series, they will get a better chance to perform in pressure situations," explained the skipper.
Unfortunate or not, these are the cards Gill has been dealt. And the next 14 months will show the path the 26-year-old carves for himself as the leader of the Indian men's team.
