Shubman Gill signals MAJOR changes after India's ODI series defeat against New Zealand, says, 'A lot of areas need...'

Home SportsShubman Gill signals MAJOR changes after Indias ODI series failure against New Zealand, says, A lot of areas need... Shubman Gill signals MAJOR changes after India’s ODI series setback against New Zealand, says, ‘A lot of areas need…’

Shubman Gill expressed his disappointment after the do-or-die match against New Zealand at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday.

Published: January 19, 2026 1:41 PM IST By Sruti Thakur | Edited by Sruti Thakur Follow Us

New Delhi: India captain Shubman Gill expressed his disappointment after the do-or-die match against New Zealand at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday. Despite Virat Kohli’s superb century and half-centuries from Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana, India suffered a 41-runs setback as New Zealand clinched the three-match series 2-1.

Chasing a daunting target of 338, India kept losing wickets at regular intervals, and Kohli brilliant ton was not enough to steady the chase. Once the former skipper was dismissed for 124, New Zealand were firmly in control, eventually sealing a memorable series victory on Indian soil.

Shubman Gill scored two fifties in the first two ODIs, but failed a score huge in the third ODI despite getting a good start. Gill opened up during the post match presentation and admitted that it was disappointing to see his side fall short of its potential in such a crucial encounter.

Shubman Gill pointed out the positives from the series decider

However, Gill pointed out the positives, and reflected on Virat Kohli’s outstanding contribution with the bat, while also praised Harshit Rana for adding crucial runs. Notably, the triumph marked New Zealand’s first-ever series conquest in India. It was also the second series defeat for Gill in his stint as India’s ODI captain, following an earlier setback in Australia, underscoring a challenging initiation for the 26-year-old in the leadership role.

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“After the first match, coming here 1-1. The way we played, a bit disappointing. A lot of areas need some improvement. There are areas where we need to look back and reflect and do things better,” Gill stated at the post-match presentation.

“The way Virat bhai is batting, that is definitely a plus always. The way Harshit has batted in this series, batting at No.8 is not easy, but the way he stepped up and the way our rapid bowlers have bowled in this series was very good,” he added.

Gill also revealed that the mannschaft in keen on working with Nitish Reddy

Gill also mentioned that the mannschaft is keen on developing Nitish Reddy as a fast-bowling all-rounder, keeping in mind that the 2027 World Cup will be held in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, “Keeping the World Cup in mind and where it is going to be, we want to give Nitish Kumar Reddy opportunities, and we want to give him enough overs when he is out there. We want to see which combinations work for us,” noted Gill.

Reddy, who scored his maiden half-century in the series decider against the Black Caps, also bowled eight overs, where he conceded 53 runs at an economy rate of a little more than six.

Reddy, who smashed his maiden half-century in the series decider against the Black Caps, also bowled eight overs and conceding 53 runs at an economy rate just over six.

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Sruti Thakur

Sruti Thakur is a trainee sports journalist at india.com with a specialization in Broadcast Journalism. She has previously worked with a couple of startup channels as a sports content writing intern, ... Read More

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Shubman GillHarshit RanaInd vs NZIndia vs New ZealandNitish Kumar ReddyODI seriesVirat Kohli

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