Shubman Gill hints at plenty of changes ahead after India fail to defend ODI fortress against New Zealand

Shubman Gill reflected on the ODI series loss against New Zealand. The Indian captain urged the team to do better.

India captain Shubman Gill wasn't pleased with his team's performance in the series decider against New Zealand at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday. Virat Kohli's century and fifties by Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana went in vain as New Zealand registered a 41-run victory to seal the three-match series 2-1. Chasing 338, India kept losing wickets consistently, and even Kohli's brilliance wasn't enough to bail the hosts out of a tricky position. When the former India captain perished for 124, the job was all but done for New Zealand, and the visitors registered a famous series victory.

India's captain Shubman Gill plays a shot during the third one-day international (ODI). (AFP)

Shubman, who hit half-centuries in the first two ODIs, failed to get going in the final match as he lost his wicket to Kyle Jamieson after scoring just 23. Speaking to the host broadcaster, Gill said that it was disappointing to see his team not play to its potential in a crucial game.

However, he was quick to say that Kohli's recent form and Rana's performance with the bat were the positives from the series. It is worth noting that this was the Black Caps' first series win in India. This was the second series loss for Gill, the ODI captain, as he had previously lost Down Under as well. Fair to say, it has been trial by fire for the 26-year-old at the helm.

“After the first match, coming here 1-1. The way we played, a bit disappointing. A lot of areas need some improvement. There are areas where we need to look back and reflect and do things better,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation.

“The way Virat bhai is batting, that is definitely a plus always. The way Harshit has batted in this series, batting at No.8 is not easy, but the way he stepped up and the way our fast bowlers have bowled in this series was very good,” he added.

‘World Cup in mind’

Gill also stated that the team is looking to groom Nitish Reddy as a fast-bowling all-rounder, considering the World Cup in 2027 will be played in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Reddy, who scored his maiden half-century in the series decider against the Black Caps, also bowled eight overs, where he conceded 53 runs at an economy rate of a little more than six.

“Keeping the World Cup in mind and where it is going to be, we want to give Nitish Kumar Reddy opportunities, and we want to give him enough overs when he is out there. We want to see which combinations work for us,” said Gill.