Gill flags death bowling and dropped catches after India's 2-1 series win over West Indies

Shubman Gill says India's death bowling and catching must improve well before next year's World Cup, even after a series his side won 2-1

India closed their home one-day series against West Indies with the trophy secured and a list of corrections in hand. The series was won in Guwahati with a match to spare, but the final game at New Chandigarh went to the tourists, who overhauled India's 351 for 7 by reaching 352 for 5 in 48.2 overs.

Gill was unwilling to let a 2-1 scoreline settle the matter. "There are still some areas that definitely need some fine tuning," India's captain said after the defeat. "Fielding needs to be top notch. Our death bowling as well needs fine tuning."

Both weaknesses were on show in the last match, where Shai Hope carried his bat for an unbeaten 162 and West Indies completed the highest successful chase in their one-day history.

No clarity in the death overs

The closing overs have become India's least settled phase. Gill said the bowling group has not agreed on what it is trying to do once a chase tightens.

"I feel sometimes we are not really clear whether we are attacking or we are defending, especially while bowling during death overs," he said.

West Indies took 352 at better than seven an over and finished the job with ten balls to spare, with Amir Jangoo making 67 and Keemo Paul 44 either side of Hope's innings.

Hope, who batted through the chase, pointed to the conditions. "Chasing is always a lot easier in India, especially with the dew," the West Indies captain said. "Glad we got over the line."

Catches going down

Gill was blunter still about the fielding, which he counted as the clearest drag on India's momentum across the three matches.

"We dropped around 3-4 catches, which breaks the momentum of the team," he said of the final game. "Fielding hasn't been up to the mark, we were sloppy on the field."

Across the series he put the number higher. "I think we dropped six or seven catches, which is not a good sign leading up to the World Cup," Gill said. "You want your fielding to be top-notch."

Little time left to experiment

India used the series to look at replacements, with Jasprit Bumrah away on Asian Games duty and Hardik Pandya still working back from injury. Gill indicated that phase is closing.

There is not much time left for experiments, he said, adding: "Hopefully the combination we want to play is available for the next series."

That next one-day assignment is a five-match series in New Zealand in November, leaving a narrow window to settle a side for a tournament now barely a year away.

A debut picked with 2027 in mind

Anshul Kamboj was handed his first ODI cap at New Chandigarh, presented by Virat Kohli before play, after arriving in the squad as a late replacement for the injured Prasidh Krishna.

Gill framed the selection as insurance rather than experiment. "We don't know who will be fit at the World Cup, we wanted someone who can bowl and bat a bit at 8," he said.

He applied the same test to the spinners in contention. "Keeping the World Cup and its conditions in mind, whoever offers the most value with their skillsets will make the squad," Gill said.

A series India still dominated

For all the faults identified, the series belonged to the captain. Gill finished as player of the series with 334 runs, built around an unbeaten 223 from 133 balls in the Guwahati chase.

That innings brought up the fastest double century in one-day internationals, reached in 117 balls, and carried India past West Indies' 405 for 7 with 39 deliveries unused.

KL Rahul's unbeaten 129 from 87 balls and Rohit Sharma's 92 kept India competitive in the final match, having been reduced to 4 for 2 inside the opening overs.

India now play a five-match T20I series against the same opponents, beginning in Lucknow on Tuesday, before the one-day questions Gill raised are put to New Zealand next month.

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