Shubman Gill flags death‑over and fielding problems after 3rd ODI loss to West Indies

India captain Shubman Gill said death bowling and fielding were major areas of concern after India's 3rd ODI loss to the West Indies in Mullanpur on October 4, 2026. India were unable to defend 352 in Mullanpur as the visitors recorded their highest-ever chase in ODI cricket.

Across the three-match series India conceded more than 290 in each game, including 405 in Guwahati and 352 in 48.2 overs in the last two fixtures. The hosts also dropped five catches during the series, a factor Gill highlighted when assessing the side's preparation for the World Cup next year.

"Lot of boxes ticked but there are some areas that definitely need fine-tuning. Our fielding could be better. We dropped around 6-7 catches. That is not a good sign leading up to the World Cup," Gill said at the post-match presentation.

On the bowling at the death GIll added: "We need to work on our death bowling. We are not clear whether we're attacking or defending, especially when we are bowling the death overs. One day such a game, if the opposition is five or six down, you are never really sure what fields to take, whether we are going for the death too early or we are still bowling kind of like middle overs. "I think these are some areas which definitely we need to be better at," said Gill at the post-match presentation.

India's bowling options for the series were affected by availability and fitness. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh were away on Asian Games duty, Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana missed the series due to fitness concerns, Mohammed Siraj was the only pacer to have played more than 100 ODIs, Prasidh Krishna was ruled out of the final ODI, and Anhsul Kamboj leaked runs in Mullanpur.

On those absences Gill said: "I would say it is unfortunate with the injuries and the scheduling, with other matches being around. It has been unfortunate that we haven't been able to play the bowling lineup that we would like to. But at the same time, it is not something that is in our hands." He added: "It is a good chance for the other players, who may not have been in the team in the team if the regulars were there, to showcase their skills," said Gill at the press conference.

India will play eight more ODIs this year, with five scheduled during the tour to New Zealand starting in October and three when Sri Lanka visit in December.