Shubman Gill cleared after elbow blow, set to play West Indies ODI

India captain Shubman Gill has been cleared to play the first ODI against the West Indies after suffering a blow to his right elbow during practice, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak confirmed. Kotak also discussed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja

Thiruvananthapuram: India captain Shubman Gill has been cleared to play the first ODI against the West Indies after suffering a blow to his right elbow during a practice session, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak confirmed on Saturday.

The first ODI of the three-match series will be played at the Greenfield International Stadium here on Sunday.

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Gill suffered a sharp blow on his right elbow from a rising delivery bowled by fast bowler Mohammed Siraj during Friday’s practice session. The right-hander received treatment on the ground for nearly 20 minutes before returning to face throwdowns in the nets.

“I think he is fine and good to go,” Kotak told reporters during a pre-match press conference.

Kotak also addressed the selection dilemma surrounding opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has often found himself on the sidelines despite his strong numbers across formats.

With Gill and Rohit Sharma in the side, Jaiswal has had limited opportunities.

“See, I think it is due to so much of competition and so many players are performing. Jaiswal is obviously, we all know he is one of the best and whenever he gets an opportunity, he performs,” Kotak said.

“He is a part of the team and as support staff, obviously, we look after his skills, his practice and his mindset and Gautam also talks to him a lot. But sometimes, you see, say if there are three very good wicketkeepers, only one will play. So, it is not that it has been unfair to him. I just think it is part of the game.

“He should keep working hard and waiting for his opportunities. So far, whenever the team needed him, he got an opportunity, he has performed. So, I mean, I don’t know what exactly you want to ask me. But I think we do look after his skills, his practice. We follow where he is, how he is doing and when he is with the team. That’s all we can do and that’s what we do,” he added.

Kotak also discussed veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja’s role in the ODI setup. Jadeja returns to the ODI team while Axar Patel is part of the Indian squad for the Asian Games in Japan.

“I think he is obviously in the mix. In South Africa series, Jadeja played when Axar was rested. Then after that, I mean, obviously, I am not part of selection panel. So, I don’t know what their thinking is. I just think if whoever is coming and playing for India, they are obviously part of that 20-25 players who possibly can be in the team,” Kotak said.

“Jadeja is an outstanding all-rounder. We all know — you see his records. I mean, how the team will set up and what kind of combination selectors and captain and head coach will go with, that is the second thing. There is a time for that, but Jadeja, to me, is one of the best fielders still we have at the world level as well.

“He bowls, bats and the experience he has, because I actually firmly believe that experience is something you cannot beat. So, like we see Rohit, Virat, Jadeja, they all bring a lot of that to the team. So, Jadeja is also one of them and he is obviously a very useful member of the team,” he added.