Gautam Gambhir has had, like, tremendous success as India’s T20I coach. Under his guidance, India remain unbeaten in T20I bilateral series, they managed to win the Asia Cup 2025 and then after that lift the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Still, when you look closer at his record in the ODI and Test formats, the picture looks a bit different. India have faced two home Test series defeats during his spell, which is something that hadnt happened since 2012, and that really stands out. Yes, India did win the Champions Trophy 2025, but the ODI performances have often been short on consistency, kind of uneven at times. One of the early problems during Gambhir’s stint came when India lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka for the first time in 27 years. The side later got back some pace, and looked pretty settled too, until the Champions Trophy. After that event, Rohit Sharma stepped down as captain and Shubman Gill took over. Since then the Gill-Gambhir duo has still not really found a clean run in ODI cricket. Gill’s first captaincy task wrapped up with a series defeat against a tough Australian outfit in Australia. And then, an even bigger surprise arrived, when India lost a three-match home ODI series to New Zealand though they won the first game. Hardik Pandya’s injury has kinda forced India to look elsewhere for a pace bowling all-rounder, and Nitish Kumar Reddy has kind of stepped in, the beneficiary i mean. In a lot of ways this could play into India’s favour, it’s not a bad trade off either. If Pandya had been fit, Reddy probably would have spent the series sitting around on the bench, or at least only featuring in a limited role. As it stands, he’s expected to turn up in all three ODIs. His recent form has been really impressive. During IPL 2026, Reddy basically made a name for himself as one of the tournament’s standout all rounders. Sunrisers Hyderabad seemed to miss him pretty clearly whenever he wasn’t available, like you could feel the absence. And sure, the numbers help, but beyond the statistics he looked more switched on with both bat and ball. After working closely with his bowling coach, he added some extra pace to his deliveries, while still managing to generate movement through the air when the conditions allowed it. Shubman Gill’s record as ODI captain: Result Margin Opposition Venue Date Lost 7 wickets Australia Perth Oct 19, 2025 Lost 2 wickets Australia Adelaide Oct 23, 2025 Won 9 wickets Australia Sydney Oct 25, 2025 Won 4 wickets New Zealand Vadodara Jan 11, 2026 Lost 7 wickets New Zealand Rajkot Jan 14, 2026 Lost 41 runs New Zealand Indore Jan 18, 2026 The key thing now is how Gill plans to use him, you know, like what role they give him in the XI. This ODI series gives India a chance to look at their bench strength and Reddy really deserves a big chunk of bowling overs. He should be relied on as a partnership breaker, and not just for a couple of spells either , he needs enough deliveries to actually make a difference. Fast forward to the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, and India may want Pandya and Reddy in the same playing XI. So for that reason alone, shaping up Reddy’s bowling role becomes a priority. Also , the team management has to pin down where he bats because his attacking mindset can flip the tempo of a match pretty quickly. Yashasvi Jaiswal was picked as Virat Kohli’s replacement for the ODI series. At the same time, a lot of people figured Ishan Kishan would step into the empty No. 3 spot, after making a strong claim in T20Is. Kishan hasn’t played an ODI for India since the 2023 World Cup, but his recent comeback has been pretty encouraging, honestly. Season Runs Average Highest Score Wickets Economy Best Bowling 2025-26 139 34.75 55* 6 5.67 2/65 However, reports coming in a head of the first ODI in Dharamsala hint that India might be able to use Kishan as a finisher while also nudging KL Rahul up the order. Bowling coach Morne Morkel didnt do much to make the whole situation clearer. Handing Kishan the wicketkeeping gloves would sort of make sense if the side wants to test different pairings or combinations. Still, telling him to close out the innings while shifting Rahul to No. 3 may end up being counterproductive. š£ļø šš š³š²š¹š š¹š¶šøš² ššµš²š'šš² šÆš²š²š» š½š®šæš š¼š³ ššµš¶š šš¾šš®š± š³š¼šæ š°-š± šš²š®šæš.First time in the #TeamIndia ODI squad, and Prince Yadav & Gurnoor Brar have already earned high praise from Bowling Coach Morne Morkel š šŖ#INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/6qOk9zUst2 — BCCI (@BCCI) June 12, 2026 Rahul’s already taken on a bunch of roles across his international career and in ODI cricket he has done well in the middle order. Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy he really clicked at No. 5 and now he’s batting at No. 6, mainly to fit a left-hander higher up. But pushing him even further, especially with Kohli absent, feels unneeded. After all, Rahul has kind of mastered the No. 5 and No. 6 roles. He can rescue the team in hard moments, and if needed he accelerates right away. During the Champions Trophy 2025, he lost his wicket only once across four matches. Since he settled into the No. 5 position in early 2023, no batter has averaged more than him in that role, so quietly. Trying to tweak that kind of spot where he consistently delivers, could end up causing problems where none are present right now Meanwhile, while most of the attention stays on Rohit Sharma’s return and Virat Kohli’s absence, the ODI series against Afghanistan might actually matter more for India’s bowling unit than for its batting lineup. Highest average at No. 5 in ODIs (since 2023): Batter Innings Runs HS Average SR 100s/50s KL Rahul 21 930 112* 71.53 94.6 2/5 Nicolas Pooran 8 407 115 67.83 120.05 2/0 Azmatullah Omarzai 16 638 149* 63.80 98 1/5 Milind Kumar 23 981 155* 57.70 104.25 3/6 India already possess a pretty well-established batting core for the 2027 ODI World Cup, if we are being honest. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul form a solid bunch. The bigger worry however is the pace attack, and if India really have enough dependable options beyond Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, you know what I mean. Also Read | England Women Script History, Register Highest-Ever Women's T20 World Cup Total When Bumrah is rested and Siraj is out because of workload management, Arshdeep Singh and Prasidh Krishna suddenly get a golden opening to prove a point. Both have flashed real capability, but neither has truly locked in a spot inside India’s ODI set. The Afghanistan series could end up mattering a lot in shaping what comes next for them. Taken together, these two pacers have only 38 ODI appearances so far, not much. Arshdeep had a below-par IPL season, while Prasidh still seems to be in that constant hunt for steadiness in white-ball cricket. India have also, added uncapped fast bowlers Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar to the squad. While Brar seems lower in the pecking order , Prince has built a rather solid reputation in limited-overs cricket. He picked up 29 wickets in just 14 List A matches before going into a productive IPL spell with Lucknow Super Giants. If India decide to rotate their bowling attack , he might finally get that long awaited international debut. Since the 2027 World Cup is scheduled to be held in South Africa , Zimbabwe and Namibia, India can’t really lean on spin-heavy bowling setups only. Doing well in those conditions will mean they need a pace group that can stand up right from the new ball, and still keep producing breakthroughs, across the full innings.