CHENNAI — India won the ODI series against Afghanistan 3-0. Captain Shubman Gill discussed the team's fast-bowling strategy and player development in a podcast interview following the series.

Gill stated, "Honestly, the combination and the kind of bowlers that we are trying to play are part of what we're building. We want to create as many opportunities as we can." He said, "In that middle phase, we've seen that once the ball gets a little older on a good wicket, with only four fielders outside the circle, batting becomes much easier. That's why we're trying to play bowlers like Prasidh and Harshit. They are tall, fast bowlers who offer us something different."

Gill stated, "At the same time, it's important to give someone like Nitish Kumar Reddy enough overs in the middle, even if we know there might be better options for those conditions who can get us wickets. It's important for players like him to gain confidence going into the World Cup."

Gill said young fast bowlers are being trained to identify the ideal length as early as possible to adapt to different surfaces. He stated, "It's about assessing the wicket. Different wickets demand different lengths. On a wicket like this, you have to bowl a little fuller, while on a black-soil wicket, you might have to bowl slightly shorter. As a bowling unit, what we're trying to do is assess the conditions as early as possible and consistently hit that top-of-off-stump, full-stump area because that's the hardest ball to score off." Gill added, "At the same time, we want to keep using the bounce. It gives batters scoring opportunities as well, but it also creates chances for us to take wickets."

Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav made their debut in the series. Brar, who is six feet five inches tall, took seven wickets in three games. Gill stated, "It's very encouraging. These are great signs for Indian cricket that we can keep producing fast bowlers who consistently bowl at 140-plus." Gill also said, "If I have to be really critical, he did concede a few runs and was a little inconsistent at times. But he's young, playing his first series at the highest level, and he's bowling quick. He has all the qualities we want in a young, tall fast bowler, and with experience he's only going to get better."

Prasidh Krishna, a teammate of Gill at the Gujarat Titans, recorded his maiden ODI five-wicket haul in the Chennai match, where India took one wicket in the middle overs. India took five wickets in the middle overs in the rain-shortened Dharamsala ODI and the Lucknow ODI. Gill stated, "What he brings to the table is that we saw there was good bounce in the wicket early on and the ball was doing a bit. If he keeps hitting those areas consistently, he can create a lot of opportunities for us as a bowler. If he continues doing that, it'll be great for the team."

Gill stated that the team maintains a flexible approach to fast-bowling plans. He said, "It's about being flexible. There isn't one fixed role." Gill confirmed that management encourages bowlers to adapt to different combinations and bowl with maximum intensity, stating, "We're trying different combinations, and we encourage our bowlers to give everything regardless of whether they're bowling with the new ball or as first change." Gill was adjudged Player of the Series for the series against Afghanistan.

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