CHENNAI — India cricket captain Shubman Gill was adjudged Player of the Series after India sealed a 3-0 win over Afghanistan. Gill told reporters that the team is building a combination of bowlers to create as many opportunities as possible.

Gill stated that the team is trying to play tall, fast bowlers like Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana because they offer something different. He said that India has tall fast bowlers who can hit the right areas and create opportunities with the old ball even without help from conditions. He added that it is encouraging that India can produce fast bowlers who consistently bowl at speeds over 140 km/h.

Gill said there is no single fixed role for bowlers and the team is trying different combinations. He noted that the management encourages bowlers to give maximum intensity regardless of whether they are bowling with the new ball or as first change. According to Gill, Prasidh Krishna took five wickets in an ODI match against Afghanistan in Chennai and is capable of taking the new ball if required. Another young fast bowler, Gurnoor Brar, took seven wickets in three games during the series against Afghanistan. Brar, who is 26 years old and six-foot-five tall, made his debut in the series alongside Prince Yadav. Gill said Brar conceded a few runs and was inconsistent at times but has the qualities desired in a young, tall fast bowler. He also stated it is important to give Nitish Kumar Reddy enough overs in the middle to gain confidence going into the World Cup.

Gill explained that young fast bowlers are being trained to adapt quickly to different surfaces by identifying the ideal length as early as possible. He noted that bowlers must bowl fuller on red-soil wickets and slightly shorter on black-soil pitches. The bowling unit aims to assess conditions early and consistently hit the top-of-off-stump area because it is the hardest ball to score off, he said. The team wants to use bounce to create wicket-taking opportunities even if it occasionally results in extra runs. Gill observed that batting becomes easier in the middle phase when the ball is older and only four fielders are outside the circle.

In prior matches, India took four wickets in the middle overs across three matches against Australia. They took zero wickets in the middle overs in the Rajkot ODI against New Zealand and zero wickets in the Indore ODI. Against South Africa, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna combined for nine wickets in the middle overs across three games. In the series against Afghanistan, India took five wickets in the middle overs in the rain-shortened Dharamsala ODI, five wickets in the Lucknow ODI, and one wicket in the Chennai ODI.

No independent assessment of Shubman Gill’s claims was available.