Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has highlighted that the three-match ODI series against England will be crucial for Shubman Gill. Gill’s ODI captaincy stint didn’t start on a positive note as India suffered series losses against Australia and New Zealand.
India won their maiden ODI series under Gill’s leadership when they registered a 3-0 win against Afghanistan.
Chopra also highlighted that the series will be crucial for Shreyas Iyer, who lost all six games against Ireland and England.
“This is a very important series for Shubman Gill because he went to Australia for his first series and faced defeat there, we won the South Africa series for sure but he wasn’t available, and then we lost the New Zealand series in which he was playing,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“The Indian captains’ time is not going well at the moment. You can ask Shreyas Iyer about it. He just got a new assignment, and he hasn’t tasted a win as a captain, which is a tough one, but this is the reality,” he added.
Chopra recalled that Gill did a fantastic job for India while leading in the Test series against England in 2025. Gill scored 754 runs in five Test matches and played a key role in the team’s success.
“Shubman Gill’s previous England tour, which was his first tour as a captain, he scored more than 700 runs, and the team drew that series. He did a phenomenal thing on that tour, and he will have to do that once again in ODIs. For that, he needs to score runs, because he has been in great form. He is in an absolute purple patch,” he observed.
Chopra added that India will need a little more responsibility from Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul.
“However, along with him, since this is a 50-over game and Hardik Pandya isn’t there and I am asking them to play with only six batters, you will need a little more responsibility from Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul, and there is no time this time,” he said.
The renowned commentator urged India to adapt to the English conditions as soon as possible.
“This team has changed totally. Shreyas Iyer is the only overlapping player from the T20I team. If they play Ishan Kishan, there will be overlap, or else it’s a totally new team. So they will have to adapt to the new conditions. We saw in the T20I setup that adaptability was a problem. However, will they be able to adapt now, because there is no time for adaptation?” Chopra observed.
The first ODI between England and India will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Tuesday.
