India captain Shubman Gill has expressed concern over his team's fitness record, stating that the squad cannot afford recurring injuries if they intend to remain a strong contender for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Following the series-deciding defeat to England at Lord's on Sunday, Gill emphasized that the collective group, including players and the BCCI medical team, must focus on elevating fitness standards moving forward.
The team's performance at Lord's was significantly impacted by the absence of several key players from the original 15-man squad. Jasprit Bumrah was sidelined due to an impact injury sustained during the Cardiff ODI, while Washington Sundar suffered a hamstring injury at the same venue. Additionally, Harshit Rana was ruled out with a hamstring injury from the England T20I series, and Nitish Kumar Reddy remained in India after sustaining a quadriceps injury during the home ODI series against Afghanistan in June. Gill noted that these persistent issues forced the management to adjust team combinations, sometimes at the last minute.
Gill highlighted the difficulty of maintaining consistency when players are unable to complete a short series, noting that at least five players from the initially announced squad were unavailable for the final match. He pointed out that while changing combinations is standard when one or two players are injured, the frequency of these absences represents a significant challenge. He argued that with the World Cup requiring players to compete in 11 consecutive matches, the current inability to play through a two-to-three-match series without suffering niggles is a major concern. He described the difficulty of arriving at the ground only to learn a player is not fully fit, forcing the team to choose between playing someone at 80% capacity or risking the balance of the side.
Reflecting on the loss at Lord's, Gill identified loose bowling in the first and final 10 overs as critical factors. He noted that the inexperienced bowling attack struggled under pressure, conceding 63 runs in the final three overs, which shifted the momentum toward England. Despite the defeat, Gill felt India played a decent series but admitted they failed to execute during the crunch moments that dictate the outcome of games. He also explained that the decision to play only one spinner, Axar Patel, was due to pitch conditions in Birmingham and Cardiff that favored a defensive role for slow bowlers. The inclusion of an extra fast bowler was intended to create attacking opportunities in the middle overs, a strategy that ultimately saw specialist wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav remain on the bench for the entire series.
"Our bowling is a little bit inexperienced," he said. "We were put under the pump in this match and we didn't respond well. We didn't start well in the powerplay. We gave away too many loose balls and then were always chasing the game trying to take wickets, create something which didn't happen for us. By then the game was already ahead of us.
"[In the] last three overs we gave away 62 [63] runs and that's where the momentum completely shifted. We were sort of looking at [a target of] 340-350 at one point. They got close to 390 and chasing 390, no matter what surface you are batting on, [is] never easy."
