Indian skipper Shubman Gill dismissed suggestions that veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was dropped for the third and final ODI against the West Indies, clarifying that the move was purely part of the team’s workload management and testing bench strength. As per Gill, India had wrapped up the three-match series in the first two games, prompting the team management to opt to rest senior players to test depth options, such as pace-all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and debutant Anshul Kamboj , ahead of next year’s World Cup. Speaking on the decision to rest Jadeja for the final game, Gill emphasised the difficulty of providing game time to fringe players in brief bilateral series.
The final match of the series, also dead-rubber, also saw experimentation in the seam department. Despite tough bowling conditions on flat pitches, Gill reiterated the management’s trust in young talent.
After Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi made his debut in the earlier game, Haryana pacer Anshul Kamboj was handed his maiden ODI cap in New Chandigarh.
