Thiruvananthapuram: India captain Shubman Gill has been cleared of any major injury concerns and is fine to play in the first ODI against the West Indies, to be played at the Greenfield International Stadium Sunday, confirmed batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.
Gill had suffered a sharp blow on his right elbow from a rising delivery bowled by fast bowler Mohammed Siraj during a practice session Friday. The right-hander required treatment on the ground for nearly 20 minutes before returning to hit throwdowns in the nets. “I think he is fine and good to go,” Kotak told reporters during a pre-match press conference.
Kotak also addressed the continuous selection dilemmas facing the Indian team management, particularly regarding talented opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has often found himself on the sidelines despite boasting strong numbers across formats.
With Gill and Rohit Sharma around, Jaiswal has been relegated to spending time on the sidelines. “See, I think it is due to so much competition and so many players are performing. Jaiswal is obviously, we all know he is one of the best and whenever he gets an opportunity, he performs.
“He is a part of the team and as support staff, obviously, we look after his skills, his practice and his mindset and Gautam also talks to him a lot. But sometimes, you see, say if there are three very good wicketkeepers, only one will play. So, it is not that it has been unfair to him. I just think it is part of the game.
“He should keep working hard and waiting for his opportunities. So far, whenever the team needed him, he got an opportunity, he has performed. So, I mean, I don’t know what exactly you want to ask me. But I think we do look after his skills, his practice. We follow where he is, how he is doing and when he is with the team. That’s all we can do and that’s what we do,” added Kotak.
Kotak also weighed in on veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s role in the white-ball setup, as he returns to the ODI team due to Axar Patel being in the T20I team for the Asian Games happening in Japan.
“I think he is obviously in the mix. In South Africa series, Jadeja played when Axar was rested. Then after that, I mean, obviously, I am not part of the selection panel. So, I don’t know what their thinking is. I just think if whoever is coming and playing for India, they are obviously part of those 20-25 players who possibly can be in the team.
“Jadeja is an outstanding all-rounder. We all know – you see his records. I mean, how the team will set up and what kind of combination selectors and captain and head coach will go with, that is the second thing. There is a time for that, but Jadeja, to me, is one of the best fielders we still have at the world level as well.
“He bowls, bats and the experience he has, because I actually firmly believe that experience is something you cannot beat. So, like we see Rohit, Virat, Jadeja, they all brings a lot of that to the team. So, Jadeja is also one of them and he is obviously a very useful member of the team,” concluded Kotak.
