This will be Shubman Gill’s second series as captain of the Indian cricket team. Ahead of the first Test of the two-match series against the West Indies, Indian Test captain Shubman Gill spoke to reporters. The opening Test is set to begin on October 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The two-Test series marks the resumption of India’s ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 campaign, following their 2-2 series draw in England. The second Test will take place from October 10 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Following the West Indies series, India will host South Africa for two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is. As the reigning ICC WTC champions, South Africa will be aiming for a Test series win in India. For now, all eyes are on India’s first Test against the West Indies.
“Nothing Pre-Decided”: Shubman Gill on Jasprit Bumrah’s Workload Management
Indian captain Shubman Gill addressed the media and was asked about the availability of Jasprit Bumrah. The star pacer, who has been under workload management, featured in only three of the five Tests during India’s England tour. This decision was not arbitrary; Bumrah had suffered a recurrence of a back injury during the Sydney Test earlier this year.
As a result, he missed three months of cricket, including the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and part of the IPL 2025. The NCA medical staff had advised the Indian team management to carefully manage his workload, leading to his limited participation against England.
Many had anticipated that Bumrah would be rested for the upcoming West Indies series, given that he played in the Asia Cup 2025 final just two days before the first Test. However, he made himself available and was named in the squad.
Speaking about Bumrah, Shubman Gill emphasized that nothing regarding his workload was pre-determined. “We will assess on a match-to-match basis—how many days the Test lasts, how our fast bowlers feel,” Gill said, according to RevSportz.
Shubman Gill also shared insights on India’s playing XI, noting that the final selection would be made on match day after assessing the pitch and conditions. “You will get to know the XI tomorrow. Conditions and weather are tempting to play an extra seam. We will take a call tomorrow after seeing the moisture in the pitch,” he added.
On the upcoming series, Shubman Gill issued a strong warning to the West Indies, led by Roston Chase, stating that India intends to dominate and play uncompromising cricket. “No easy options… We want to play tough cricket. Every Test in England went deep. We are ready to play that tough cricket. We are playing in India after a year; any series is important. We will be looking to dominate the series,” he said.