The allrounder is now a T20 freelancer and struck a deal with the selectors to miss the West Indies and South Africa series

Matt Roller14-Aug-2025It is mid-afternoon on a hot summer’s day in London, and Marcus Stoinis is sitting on the members’ benches in the lower tier of the Lord’s Pavilion. He has spent the last two hours training on the Nursery Ground and, yet to look at his phone, he is anxious to learn the result of Australia’s T20I against South Africa, more than 8,000 miles away in Darwin.”Has it finished?” Stoinis asks. It has: Australia have lost by 53 runs, their first defeat in 10 matches. “I was watching it on the bus, but we just had training so I missed most of our batting innings,” he explains. It is an unusual scenario for him, albeit one that he is growing used to: a regular in Australia’s T20 team since 2018, he has now missed two series in a row.The curious aspect is that Stoinis has not retired from T20Is, nor has he been dropped. His non-involvement owes to conversations he instigated with Andrew McDonald and George Bailey – Australia’s coach and chief selector – earlier this year, and he still hopes to be selected for upcoming series against New Zealand and India with an eye on the 2026 T20 World Cup.Related

Stoinis and David shine light on future of Australia's contracts system

Starc announces retirement from T20Is to focus on Tests, 2027 ODI World Cup

Australia in unfamiliar territory in T20I series decider against South Africa

'Cose to all guns blazing' – Australia plan to power through

Bailey declares Weatherald 'in the mix' for Ashes

Stoinis has been a freelancer – without a national or state contract – for the past year, and remains in high demand in leagues around the world. It is a lifestyle that suits him, and deals like his £200,000 direct signing with Trent Rockets are hard to turn down. “There’s no better place to play,” he says, ahead of Thursday’s fixture against London Spirit at Lord’s.”The nature of it is that you can’t select yourself in an Australian jersey, but you can sign a contract to come and play in the Hundred,” Stoinis explains. “When this opportunity came up, I spoke to Cricket Australia, I spoke to Ron [McDonald] and we made a plan around that, really… When you’re planning it in advance, that makes it easier.”He has retired from ODIs but remains available for T20 selection, and Bailey confirmed last week that he will be “firmly in the mix” for next year’s World Cup. “We are very lucky,” Stoinis says. “We do it very well in Australia. The relationships that I’ve got with both Ron and Bails means you just have those conversations pretty openly.”His absence has created opportunities for 23-year-old allrounder Mitchell Owen in the middle order, who impressed in the Caribbean last month. “Maybe it’s because I’m older, but I want him to do well,” Stoinis, who turns 36 on Saturday, says. “We were just with each other during the IPL [at Punjab Kings] and it’s been good for him to play different roles.Marcus Stoinis’ most recent appearance for Australia came last November•AFP”I’m also fully aware that myself and Maxi [Glenn Maxwell] – and, more recently, Timmy David – have been holding that spot through the middle of Australian cricket for a long time. It’s very hard for other, young people to come through and have a crack at that… You need to bring through the next generation as well. It’s no-one’s spot.”He has found it “weird” watching his team-mates from afar but seems at peace with the decisions that he has made. “You share a few messages after the games and have a laugh… They say playing for your country should be the best time of your life, and for me it has been. But I don’t feel like it’s done yet.”Life as a freelancer has meant the best part of five months on the road for Stoinis. He spent from mid-March to early June in India for the IPL – contracting Covid-19 during a short trip home when the league was suspended – then flew back to Australia to get his visa sorted for Major League Cricket. He had two weeks off after that, then was back to the UK for the Hundred.He occasionally employs a personal chef in India and, along with Tim David, trains with Jim Allenby – the former Glamorgan allrounder, now a coach – when he is back in Perth. But he generally looks after himself and relies on the staff at his various teams, rather than travelling the world with an entourage in tow as a tennis player or a golfer would.Marcus Stoinis shakes hands with Harry Brook•Andy Kearns/Getty ImagesIt is a happy coincidence, then, that his Melbourne Stars coach Peter Moores is involved in the Rockets’ backroom staff, and he has also worked with Andy Flower before at Lucknow Super Giants. Graeme Swann has been arranging the team’s golf days, and they are a happy bunch after starting the season with wins over Birmingham Phoenix and Northern Superchargers.Stoinis played in the Hundred three years ago with Southern Brave, and says that he has wanted to return ever since. He will have family at Lord’s on Thursday night, and his girlfriend Sarah arrives next week: “Whenever an Aussie plays in England, the family sees it as a good opportunity to make the trip over. It’s somewhere where everyone wants to be.”He has noted the presence of new team owners in the Hundred, and expects Cricket Australia will follow suit with the BBL. Players have an obvious vested interest in private investment and Stoinis is unsurprisingly supportive, arguing that it is the obvious direction of travel – even if he still sees the chance to play in next year’s T20 World Cup as his main personal ambition.”Thinking about the IPL owners and what they’ve done with the IPL, you want people that have got a track record of building something that’s very good. If they do that, it’s great for them, but it’s also great for English cricket or for Australian cricket… It’s a pretty clear path to me, as to where most of cricket’s going.”

While their performances last year and at the start of the season suggest otherwise, West Ham United do have a talented squad.

The likes of Freddie Potts, Jarrod Bowen, Mateus Fernandes, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters are all good to great players who will help move the East Londoners away from a Premier League relegation scrap as the season goes on.

However, one area of the team that the Hammers have consistently failed to address is up top, with neither Niclas Füllkrug nor Callum Wilson good enough to lead the line.

Fortunately, West Ham are now being linked with an inform number nine who could end their striker curse and was even linked to Harry Kane as a youngster.

West Ham target Füllkrug and Wilson upgrade

Before his injury, Füllkrug had made seven appearances for West Ham this season, in which he failed to score or assist a single goal, which makes news of his likely departure in January rather welcome to most fans.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Wilson, on the other hand, has been able to find the back of the net twice, in fact, but even so, he has hardly blown anyone away in his nine appearances so far this season, and with his injury record being what it is, he cannot be relied upon.

So, with all that in mind, it’s clear that the East Londoners are in desperate need of a new striker once the window opens, and fortunately, that might happen.

According to a recent report from Turkey, West Ham are among several sides interested in man of the moment, Troy Parrott.

Alongside the Hammers, the report claims that Everton, Leeds United and Stuttgart are keen on signing the Irish international from AZ Alkmaar, who want at least €30m for him, which is about £26m.

It could be a tough transfer to get over the line, but with how well Parrott has played in recent years, and how much of an upgrade on Füllkrug and Wilson he’d be, it’s one worth fighting for.

Why Parrott would be massive upgrade on Wilson & Füllkrug

It’s the obvious place to start, but it’s also the most important: Parrott would be a huge upgrade on Wilson and Füllkrug because he’s simply the better goalscorer.

For example, while the two West Ham strikers have just two goals between them this season, the Irishman has already racked up an astounding tally of 13 goals and two assists in 14 appearances, totalling 928 minutes.

That comes out to a sensational average of 1.07 goal involvements every game, or one every 61.86 minutes.

Such an incredible rate of return makes the claim of one analyst, made over five years ago, that he was “reminiscent of Harry Kane” as a youngster look rather reasonable today.

It’s not just this season that the former Tottenham Hotspur gem has been on fire, though, as he ended last season with an excellent haul of 20 goals and five assists in 47 games.

With that said, the second reason he’d be an excellent upgrade on the Hammers’ ageing forwards is that he’s still just 23 years old, and therefore has plenty left in the tank.

Moreover, while he did have some injury problems early on in his career, he has not missed more than nine games for club and country in any of the last three campaigns.

Finally, as was made quite clear over the last week or so, the Dublin-born game-changer is someone for the big occasions.

For example, he scored both goals in Ireland’s 2-0 win over Portugal, and then followed that up with what is already a legendary hat-trick against Hungary, securing the country’s place in the World Cup play-offs.

Moreover, his third goal was practically the final kick of the game, suggesting he isn’t someone to flap under the most immense of pressure.

Ultimately, while it might be difficult to get ahead of the other interested parties, West Ham should be doing all they can to sign Parrott in January, as he might be the man to end their striker curse.

£67m spent & no Wilson or Fullkrug: Nuno's dream West Ham XI after January

This is the dream West Ham starting line-up that Nuno could build in the January window.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 15, 2025

Fans queued up for tickets with Gill training not far from home and all four teams assembling for the playoffs

Shashank Kishore28-May-20259:02

Moody: ‘Two in-form teams, we’re in for an absolute cracker’

A long line, spanning the entire stretch of the IS Bindra Stadium’s outer boundary around the main entrance, stood to buy tickets for Thursday’s Qualifier 1 between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). But as Gujarat Titans (GT) entered the venue for a training session, the noise level went up manyfold.The cheer intensified further when Shubman Gill emerged. The fanfare when teams train isn’t new, but this one carried extra warmth. It was an ode to Gill, the local boy who has grown up playing here in Mohali, from his mid-teens after arriving in the city from Fazilka, a hamlet some 300km away, in Punjab.Wednesday’s appearance was his first in the region since he had been named the India Test captain. So there was this obvious interest around the prodigal son, even though the real home team – PBKS – were in the midst of their own training session about 30km away in New Chandigarh, which houses the new stadium.Related

• IPL playoffs: How the four teams stack up

• Evenly matched Punjab Kings and RCB fight for ticket to finale

Several police personnel manning the main entrance also queued up to click pictures, but their hero had given them the slip as he made his way into the main block, and to the nets behind the stadium, where he watched GT’s young batters go through their drills.Gill stood there observing, giving them words of encouragement, while gently warming up himself. He shadow-batted, and then faced some throwdowns – checking if his feet movement, bat follow-through, and everything else was in order. Ten minutes later, he was out and saw the rest of the session with his pads on, playing the role of a senior figure, as some of the others trained at the centre wicket.There was no sign of some of the other big stars, among them Rashid Khan and B Sai Sudharsan. Ishant Sharma huffed and puffed his way through an intense 40-minute spell, head coach Ashish Nehra conducted a catching drill, and the team’s physios made Instagram reels for players who came up to them requesting to time their sprints.The intense net session was done away with following the one they had on Tuesday night in New Chandigarh. This seemed like a quiet stroll in the park – just to get the body moving, give players the feel, and get them adjusted to fielding in the evening heat.Fans queue up outside the IS Bindra Stadium for tickets to the playoff matches•Shashank Kishore/ESPNcricinfo LtdA few hours prior to GT’s training, it took a good 30 minutes to drive over from central Chandigarh to the new stadium, where queues for tickets seemed even longer, with fans calling online tickets “inconvenient” because of the need to exchange them for physical ones at the venue later. Even worse, the exercise had to be completed on a non-match day. Good luck if you’re turning up on match day looking for the physical version of the tickets you had already bought.Inside, Mumbai Indians (MI) went through their drills exactly like GT did. Except, some of the big boys were in attendance. Among them, Jasprit Bumrah the most excitable – as he challenged his mates, bowling his heart out for a good 45 minutes in near 40-degree afternoon heat. Bumrah and Trent Boult competed with each other with cranked-up intensity, troubling K Shrijith, Robin Minz and new recruit Jonny Bairstow. Then Mitchell Santner arrived and smacked the ball around.All this as the ground staff carefully cordoned off the main squares and covered it with two layers of hessian, making the process of taking a peek at the deck virtually impossible.1:46

‘This is the new Punjab’

The evening seemed like a blockbuster if you’re a keen nets-watcher. Arshdeep Singh swung it sideways; Priyansh Arya gave scant respect to seniority as he bashed the ball; the PBKS coaches stood there applauding, while also engaging in some quiet chats with players by the side after their respective sessions.While all of this happened, RCB were blissfully mid-air, recovering from a late-night finish, and only arriving on Wednesday evening. They will need to hit the ground running on match day, banking on intel from their analysts and their own experience of having played and won in New Chandigarh when they last played PBKS.Come Thursday, the mood is unlikely to be this relaxed and friendly. The IPL is bracing for a full house, and hope it will be a spectacle. PBKS are playing a playoff match at their home venue for the first time. Never before have they had the kind of fanatical support like they do this year. Even during their peak year in 2014, Mohali didn’t always sell out. But their exceptional season has led to a turnaround.Over to the playoffs then. From all of this being a non-starter two weeks ago, here we are, this close to seeing if the IPL throws up a new champion. The next two days will give us some sort of an inkling.

U.S. international Christian Pulisic said AC Milan’s 1-0 win over Inter Milan underlined the team’s determination and showed they can be serious contenders in Serie A this season. He also praised goalkeeper Mike Maignan, calling the France international’s display “one of the best goalkeeper performances” he has seen in his career.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'I can improve even more'

  Pulisic scored the decisive winner for Milan in the second half, while Maignan had six saves in the contest. 

  After the final whistle, Pulisic underlined the personal and collective significance of the derby triumph, saying the victory “means everything” for the group. He admitted that he is not yet back to full match sharpness following a recent injury layoff, but stressed that hard work and resilience had helped him contribute when it mattered. The forward framed the goal as validation of effort and a boost for the dressing room.

  “It means everything, honestly, just the result today,” Pulisic said in his post-match interview with CBS Sports. “It just puts us in a good place, and yeah, I’m really happy to come back after some tough moments in the last month to come back and help the team to win.

  “I mean, honestly, I think I can improve even more,” Pulisic added. “I don’t feel a 100 percent sharp after coming back from an injury and some time out. But it just shows the resilience, and I work really hard and happy a moment like today can come; it means a lot to me.”  

  Pulisic singled out his teammates’ determination in the closing stages, praising Milan’s defensive resolve and team unity. He pointed to the way the side defended the lead in the last half hour as evidence of a strong collective mentality, adding that confidence gained from such wins can carry through the season. The striker also reflected on his own standards, saying there is still room to sharpen his performances despite the decisive contribution.

  “Honestly, just the way this team has suffered even when we’re up goals and you can see in the last 30 minutes the way we defend,” Pulisic explained. “I just think we have a really good team spirit, the team’s will is incredible no matter what happens, we’ve gone down, we’ve come back, we’ve gone up and we’ve defended. I think we’ve just seen the games through and yup, we feel confident going into the games.”

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Milan's title credentials

  Milan now sit just two points back from Roma on the Serie A summit, and Pulisic stressed the club has higher ambitions. 

  "For us, you know, we're not looking at, you know, right, where we want to be at the top of the table the whole season. It's when it comes down to it, we have to be there, so we take it game by game," he said. "Big performances like this against big teams helped us a lot. Yeah, sends a message to hopefully the rest of the league, but we just have to keep going and finding consistency."

• AFP
  

  'Over and over again, he's saving us'

  Pulisic reserved special praise for Maignan after a world-class performance from AC Milan's goalkeeper. 

  "I mean, one of the best goalkeeper performances I've seen in my career, truly, not just the penalty," he said. "I mean, that was amazing, but in the first half, some big saves, some I mean, just over and over again, he's saving us. So it was a really amazing performance."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Next steps for the Rossoneri

  The Rossoneri will face Lazio next in the Serie A on Nov. 29 before facing them again in the Round of 16 of the Coppa Italia on December 4.

Pakistan’s selection committee will meet on Monday to make a decision on the matter

Danyal Rasool18-Oct-2025

Mohammad Rizwan’s status as Pakistan ODI captain has been plunged into doubt by the PCB after a statement released by the board said it was “yet to finalise a captain” for the upcoming series against South Africa. The PCB said the white-ball head coach Mike Hesson had called for a meeting of the selection committee to make a final decision on the ODI captaincy.The statement made no mention of Rizwan, who was appointed by the PCB last year and led the side to ODI series victories in Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Results in 2025 have been less attractive with a loss in a home tri-series final to New Zealand, an early exit from the Champions Trophy, and an away series defeat in the West Indies.While there had been speculation about the fate of Rizwan, no specific cricketing reason was provided for throwing his role into uncertainty. There has been no obvious drop in batting or keeping form; Rizwan is the second highest scorer for Pakistan in ODIs this year with 361 runs at over 36. In Test cricket, the other format he is currently selected for, he scored 75 as part of a 163-run stand with Salman Ali Agha that helped Pakistan take a 1-0 lead against South Africa in the ongoing Test series.Shaheen Shah Afridi previously had to vacate T20I captaincy for Babar Azam•AFP/Getty Images

While Rizwan has not officially been removed yet, the statement makes it all but inevitable. It was a fate suffered by Shaheen Shah Afridi in T20Is shortly after Mohsin Naqvi took over as PCB chairperson. At the time, the newly appointed Afridi had captained just one series, but when asked about him at a press conference, Naqvi pointedly declined to confirm he would continue the role.”Even I don’t know who the captain will be,” Naqvi said at the time. “Whether Shaheen continues or a new captain comes in will be determined after the fitness camp. There are a number of technical factors we will consider, the details of which I do not want to go into. We want a long-term solution, whether it’s Shaheen or a new man. And then we intend to stick by that man, instead of just changing a captain just because you lose a match.”A week later, Shaheen was sacked as captain and replaced by Babar Azam, with further controversy when the PCB published a statement on Shaheen’s behalf which he declined ever having written or approved. While an uneasy truce was reached between player and board at the time, ESPNcricinfo understands that relationship has improved.Hesson is not technically in charge of determining or appointing the ODI captain, and does not sit on the selection committee. However, that Naqvi appears to have agreed to put the matter to the selection and advisory committees either reflects the influence Hesson currently enjoys at the PCB, or the fact the board was not averse to a change in the first place anyway. The committee will convene on Monday, according to the PCB, with a decision expected then.

Major League Baseball decided to do away with repeated pickoff attempts over to first base a few years ago and hasn't looked back. Under the current rules, if a pitcher disengages with the rubber more than three times during an at-bat, it results in a balk and the runners are able to move up a base. In practice, this is most apparent when there have already been two pickoff attempts during an at bat and runners are able to take enormous leads knowing that if there's a third try all they have to do is make it back safely and they'll get to advance. Or they can just take off with a huge headstart toward the next station.

The rules tweak has made games move quicker and inspired more action on the bases. But no single moment more exciting and bizarre than the one during yesterday's Tampa Bay Rays-Los Angeles Angels game.

Chandler Simpson, who is as fast as anyone in baseball, elicited two throws over from Angles lefty Tyler Anderson in the top of the first inning, then broke for second base on the third.

And then, well, let's let the video take it from there.

All of this resulted in a balk and Simpson was able to jog to second base unimpeded after avoiding several defenders and finding safe harbor back on first.

Now that's baseball in 2025. Anderson could have saved everyone a lot of time by just flinching or dropping the ball and it would have had the same effect. But Simpson did get to show off his athleticism and get his steps in.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Mirassol recebe o Paysandu neste domingo (12), pela quarta rodada da Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro. A bola vai rolar a partir das 16h (de Brasília), no Estádio Municipal de Mirassol, com transmissão de Band, TV Brasil. Canal GOAT (Youtube) e Premiere (pay-per-view).

➡️ A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

continua após a publicidade

Confira todas as informações que você precisa saber sobre o confronto entre Mirassol e Paysandu (onde assistir, horário, escalações e local).

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
MIRASSOL X PAYSANDU
4ª RODADA – SÉRIE B

🗓️ Data e horário: domingo, 12 de maio de 2024, às 16h (de Brasília);
📍 Local: Estádio Municipal, em Mirassol (SP)
📺 Onde assistir: Band, TV Brasil. Canal GOAT (Youtube) e Premiere
🟨 Árbitro: Kleber Ariel Gonçalves da Silva (PR)
🚩 Assistentes: Wagner Junior Bonfim Ledo (PR) e Denise Akemi (PR)

continua após a publicidade

➡️ Assine o Premiere e assista esse e mais jogos de graça por 30 dias!

⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES:

MIRASSOL (Técnico: Mozard)
Alex Muralha; Lucas Ramon, Luiz Otávio, João Victor e Warley; Neto Moura, Danielzinho e Gabriel; Fernandinho, Negueba e Dellatorre.

PAYSANDU (Técnico: Hélio dos Anjos)
Matheus Nogueira; Edílson, Wanderson, Lucas Maia e Kevyn; Leandro Vilela, João Vieira e Biel; Edinho, Jean Dias e Ruan Ribeiro.

continua após a publicidade

Tudo sobre

MirassolOnde assistirPaysanduSérie B

Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski has landed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday just hours before he was scheduled to start vs. the Nationals. Misiorowski is dealing with a left tibia contusion, something he suffered when facing the Cubs last Monday in his most recent start.

Chicago's Seiya Suzuki hit a liner that hit Misiorowski's left shin. Although the rookie pitcher was able to stay in the rest of the game and log 80 pitches, his knee buckled during the game.

Misiorowski landing on the IL is retroactive to Thursday, meaning he will first be available on Friday, Aug. 15. It's expected for him to only miss two starts.

The rookie is having an incredible first season, especially after earning an All-Star bid last month. Through just seven starts, Misiorowoski has posted a 2.70 ERA and a 4-1 record. He has pitched 33.1 innings and has 47 strikeouts. He has only allowed 18 hits and 10 earned runs. Not too shabby for the beginning of his MLB career.

The Brewers called up Logan Henderson from Triple-A to start in Misiorowski's place on Sunday.

Manchester City are now frontrunners in the race to sign a “world-class” £80m star, who Pep Guardiola has called “extraordinary”.

Man City eyeing new forward after Bayer Leverkusen defeat

Guardiola rung the changes on Tuesday evening, making 10 alterations to the side that lost 2-1 at Newcastle United at the weekend, and Bayer Leverkusen made them pay, emerging as 2-0 winners at the Etihad Stadium.

City did manage to create some chances, with Nathan Ake, Savinho and second-half substitute Erling Haaland all squandering big opportunities, but they weren’t clinical enough on the night, and the German side emerged as surprise winners.

Pep would’ve been hoping that his attackers would step up in the absence of Haaland, with Omar Marmoush being given the nod ahead of the Norwegian at centre-forward, but it was a subpar performance from the Egyptian, who received a 6.2 SofaScore match rating, the lowest of any player.

The defeat arguably underlined the need for the Blues to bring in another forward to support Haaland in the January transfer window, and there has now been a positive update on their interest in Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr.

According to a report from Football Insider, Man City are now frontrunners in the race to sign Vinicius, alongside Premier League rivals Chelsea, with the forward’s future at the Santiago Bernabeu in doubt, following a fallout with manager Xabi Alonso.

Talks over a contract extension have stalled, meaning the Brazilian could be set to depart the Spanish club, and City would have the financial muscle to get a deal over the line, with his current employers looking to receive £80m.

Should Madrid decide to cash-in this summer, with the 25-year-old’s current deal set to expire in 2027, a number of Saudi Pro League clubs would also join the Blues in the race, so there could be stiff competition for his signature.

"World-class" Vinicius could elevate Man City's forward line

With the likes of Savinho, Marmoush and Oscar Bobb failing to deliver against Leverkusen, Pep may be keen to bring in a forward who is already proven at the top level, and he is known to be a keen admirer of the Real Madrid star.

The City boss lauded the Brazil international as “extraordinary” last year, while he has also received high praise from Jurgen Klopp, who described the winger as “world-class” and a Real Madrid “legend”.

The former Flamengo man has been one of Madrid’s most important players for several years now, and he remained potent in front of goal right across the 2024-25 campaign, weighing in with 41 goal contributions in all competitions.

Same agent as Stones: Man City ready to snap up £80m Champions League "superstar"

There has been a new update on the Blues’ pursuit of a new defender.

ByDominic Lund Nov 27, 2025

As such, should Vinicius Jr become available, Man City should undoubtedly make a move, and £80m would be reasonable fee for a forward who is still young, and regarded as one of the best wingers in the world.

India head coach also says Shubman Gill “has done phenomenally well” as Test captain

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2025Head coach Gautam Gambhir has called for more bounce and carry from pitches in home Tests, after India spent 200 overs on the field across two West Indies innings on their way to a seven-wicket win in the second Test that ended on Tuesday.India have responded to last year’s 3-0 defeat to New Zealand by departing from the previous trend of square turners and moving towards pitches with greater balance between bat and ball. India made big first-innings totals in both Tests against West Indies, but while their bowlers got plenty of help from the Ahmedabad pitch for the first Test, they had to work extremely hard to take 20 wickets in Delhi, particularly after enforcing the follow-on.”I thought that we could have had a better wicket here,” Gambhir said in his post-match press conference. “Yes, we did get the result on day five, but again, I think nicks need to carry. I think there has to be something for the fast bowlers as well. I know we keep talking about spinners playing an important role, but when you have got probably two quality fast bowlers in your ranks, we still want them to be in the game as well.Related

• What did India gain by playing Reddy in the West Indies series?

• India complete 2-0 sweep in Gill's first series win

• 'It's about taking the right options' – Gill on first series win as Test captain

• Stats – India third for most Test wins at home

“And it is okay if there is not enough [turn], but there has to be carry. So where we all saw [that] carry wasn’t there, [it] was a bit alarming, and I think going forward, [I hope] we can get better wickets in Test cricket, because all of us have the responsibility of keeping Test cricket alive. I think the first and foremost thing to keep Test cricket alive is playing on good surfaces.”Gambhir felt West Indies’ fightback with the bat in Delhi augured well for their future, after they had come into the Test match on a prolonged run of low totals.”I have always believed that world cricket needs West Indian cricket,” Gambhir said. “That is something which is very important. It was very nice to see them fight. And obviously, they are an inexperienced team and there are a lot of changes that have happened there, but the way they fought in the second innings will give them a lot of confidence.”Shubman Gill won his first Test series as captain•BCCI

With this series wrapped up, India now go to Australia for a white-ball tour before returning home for a full series of Tests, ODIs and T20Is against South Africa. While some of India’s players face the challenge of constant switching between formats, some are currently only part of the red-ball set-up; Gambhir felt it was important for them to tune up for Test series by playing domestic cricket.”I thought that the best thing that happened in the [West Indies] series was the way the Test guys prepared before the series. Going to play the India A game against Australia [A], it was very, very important. And playing Ranji Trophy before the South Africa series is going to be equally important as well.”I thought that is something which this group of players have done exceptionally well. They are preparing themselves really well for the Test series, and that is where you could see the results as well. So, for me, I think sometimes it is difficult, but that is what professionalism is all about: try and use the days to the best of their ability, because we know that there are very quick turnarounds.”Especially, from here to one-day cricket, then T20 cricket and then, what, after four days, back to Test cricket. But again, the guys [who] were just part of Test cricket. I think for them to prepare and play domestic cricket is very, very important, rather than just going to NCA [the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, formerly the National Cricket Academy] and working on their skills. I think the more they play [domestic games] before the Test matches, it is very important for them.”The win over West Indies continued an impressive start to Test captaincy for Shubman Gill, who led India to a 2-2 draw in England in his first series in charge. Gill has now been appointed ODI captain as well.”No one has done him a favour by appointing him Test captain or now one-day captain,” Gambhir said. “I think he deserves every bit of it. He has worked hard and he ticks all the boxes. And for me as a coach, I think someone who is saying the right things, doing the right things, working hard, work ethics, commitment, putting his body on the line, being the first guy on the field, what more can a coach ask for?”And I know it is tough for him. It was tough and I have said it many times that England was probably the toughest Test cricket. Five Test matches over a course of two, two-and-a-half months, against a quality England side, intimidating batting line-up, inexperienced Indian team, what more could he have faced?”But then again, the way he has handled himself and more importantly, the way he has handled the team, and more importantly, the way the team has responded to him. I think sometimes we only keep talking about the captain, but the way the team has responded to him and to his leadership is equally important. You have got to give credit to the entire group in that dressing room.”Yes, you do earn respect by scoring runs, but you also earn respect by saying the right things and doing the right things. I think your actions should be more than any other thing, not just the performances. I think he has done phenomenally well and so has the team.”