Cricket: India build momentum for Australia tour with commanding victory over West Indies
by Thobelani Moyo | by Thobelani Moyo
Shubman Gill is fitting perfectly in his new role
About five months have passed since Rohit Sharma made the shocking decision to retire from Test cricket and focus his energy on the ODIs instead. Sharma's abrupt decision was influenced by the uncertainty surrounding his role as India’s red-ball captain.
For India, that decision put them in a difficult spot, as it meant having to deal with the monumental task of finding a new red-ball captain in a short period of time.
Initially, Jasprit Bumrah, who recently held that position temporarily in the previous season, was one of the names BCCI was considering to give the leadership role. Still, the 31-year-old was quick to exclude himself from being given such a role.
In the end, the cricket board had no choice but to appoint top-order batter Shubman Gill for the leadership role. It has certainly been the best choice made by India's cricket board as the 26-year-old has shown that he can fill in the boots of Rohit Sharma.
In fact, he has been behind impressive numbers for his team in the first 12 innings as captain in Tests and is already being compared to the legendary Sunil Gavaskar.
India dominates the West Indies as Gill tastes his first Test Series win
India's dominance over the West Indies knows no boundaries. Besides winning ten consecutive Test matches against this opponent, they've not lost a home game since 2013.
However, it comes as no surprise considering their dominant nature in front of their home crowd, which has seen them go 14 Test matches in Delhi without defeat (W12, D2).
Regarding their performance in the concluded Test cricket, India managed to complete a 2-0 series sweep over their opponents - an achievement that came on Day 5 after setting a 121 target to win at Delhi.
There is important information that can't be left out, as that outcome marked home captain Shubman Gill's first Test Series win. Gill, who had a bad day in the office during the second day of the second Test, ended up in a celebratory mood after scoring his tenth century at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Is India ready to face Australia in the three-match ODI series?
Thanks to a series sweep over the West Indies, one might say that India have managed to build momentum to challenge Australia in the three-match ODI series.
The visiting side, in this case, is aware that it won't be an easy outing against a side that boasts a 60.47% win record at home. Despite this, India will want to be at their best display under the leadership of Shubman Gill, who is making his first appearance as captain in the ODI.
Their first match is expected to begin on 19 October. Be sure to keep an eye out for our cricket predictions.
Who has been included in the ODIs?
As mentioned earlier in the first paragraph, Rohit Sharma has retired from Test cricket but has shown keen interest in playing in the ODIs, as this is where he has been shining bright like a diamond. He is expected to travel with the 15-man squad to Australia.
A name that has been making the rounds recently is Virat Kohli. The 39-year-old batting stalwart is included in the squad, which is traveling to Australia for the three-match ODI series. He also retired from Test cricket around May and is returning to the fold after a seven-month hiatus.
Check out India’s 15-man traveling squad for the ODIs:
Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana, KL Rahul (WK), Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Siraj, Nitish Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Shubman Gill (C), Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli.
