Shubman Gill drops major hint over India’s playing XI ahead of IND vs WI 2025 1st Test

Indian captain Shubman Gill has revealed that they will take a call on their final XI after looking at the pitch on the match day against the West Indies. Gill said they might be tempted to play a third seamer in the playing XI.

The Indian skipper admitted he has mainly played T20 cricket at Ahmedabad and he expects a different pitch for a Test match. Gill had scored 754 runs in five Test matches against England at a stunning average of 75.40 but he wasn’t at his absolute best in the recently concluded Asia Cup.

Gill said in a pre-match presser, “We will decide on our playing XI tomorrow. Given the weather conditions and the pitch, we might be tempted to play a third seamer. I’ve mostly played T20 cricket at this venue. Pitches for Test cricket are different.”

The youngster said making a switch from T20 format to Test cricket is the hardest thing to do but he is looking to take one day at a time.

“It’s a quick turnaround for this Test. I was looking to get in the zone. Switching format is more of a mental thing. From a mental adjustment point of view, switching from T20 to Test cricket is probably the hardest. I will take it week by week. I am not looking too far ahead. For batters, it’s more mental fatigue than physical – unlike bowlers. Right now, I am fresh,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah played only three Test matches against England and it was predecided that the ace pacer would only play three. However, Gill revealed that nothing is predecided this time and they will take a call after the opening Test.

“Regarding Bumrah’s workload management, nothing is pre-decided. We will assess on a match-to-match basis – how many days the Test lasts, how our fast bowlers feel,” said Gill.

The opening Test against the West Indies will be played at Ahmedabad from October 2 onwards.