Gill is very fortunate to have Rohit and Virat – Gautam Gambhir opens up on the presence of seasoned duo

India will be gearing up for a major bilateral challenge as they lock horns with West Indies for a three-match ODI series, followed by a five-match T20I affair.

The series begins with the series opener in Thiruvananthapuram. A major boost for Team India in the series will be the return of three big names in the form of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.

As the series approaches, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir opened up on how Indian captain Shubman Gill is fortunate to have the services of the seasoned batters for the ODI leg.  

Gambhir also opened up on the decision making while picking the playing XI.

Gambhir said, “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 XI is always going to be tough. 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.”

Apart from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India will also be missing out the services of Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah for the series against the Windies. Pandya is still not fit to bowl 10 full overs while Bumrah is with the Indian side for the Asian Games duty. However, Gambhir is hopeful of availing both Pandya and Bumrah’s services when India arrive in South Africa next year for the upcoming 50-over World Cup.

Gambhir added, “Whether it’s Hardik, whether it’s Jasprit Bumrah, both of them are going to be extremely important for us in South Africa. Because the way if you talk about Jassi or if you talk about Hardik, very few teams have a player like that who can bowl 10 overs for you, plus bat at number six or seven, plus with that impact."