Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are back in action, and with the 2027 ODI World Cup now just over a year away, India’s three-match series against West Indies comes at a time when their World Cup plans need to start taking shape. There is still plenty to sort out, and every ODI between now and next October will give India a chance to settle combinations, look at their options and work out who fits where.
The first ODI of the three-match series will be played on Sunday, September 27, with the toss scheduled for 1:30 PM IST. Live streaming of the India vs West Indies ODI series will be available on the JioHotstar app and website, while the matches will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network in India.
West Indies arrive with a very different set of priorities. Their hopes of direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup are over and they will have to go through the Qualifier for the third successive time to make it to the ICC event. The India tour is therefore an important test for Daren Sammy’s side, both in terms of seeing how they measure up against a strong opponent and identifying what needs to improve before the qualifier, which is five months away.
India have played three ODI series this year and lost two of them. Injuries, along with the focus on the T20 World Cup, which India won, have meant they have struggled to put their strongest side on the field consistently. They will again be without Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah for this series, leaving two significant holes to fill.
Pandya gives India the all-round balance that can change the make-up of the XI, while Bumrah remains the leader of their pace attack and one of their most important white-ball players. If both are fit and available when India travel to Southern Africa for the World Cup, they will be central to the team’s plans.
West Indies, ranked 10th in the ICC ODI rankings, are also trying to put together a settled side after a period of corrective measures in their cricketing system. Sammy has looked at the India series as an opportunity rather than a daunting assignment, describing it as a chance to “challenge and measure ourselves as to where we are in ODIs.”
Shai Hope offered a similar assessment, calling it a real test for the West Indies to play India in their own backyard. They will also have history to contend with. West Indies have not won a bilateral ODI series against India since 2006, while their last series win in India came in 2002.
There is enough in their bowling attack, though, to make India work for their runs. Matthew Forde and Jayden Seales can offer swing and seam with the new ball, Alzarri Joseph provides a threat in the middle overs and Vitel Lawes brings another option to an attack that also features the experience of Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase. Hope remains the key figure in a batting line-up that has shown promise and will need to deliver against India.
The three ODIs will consequently serve different purposes for the two sides. India can afford to look at their backup options, experiment with combinations and still give Rohit and Kohli valuable time in the middle. West Indies have a more immediate task, with the series offering them a chance to see where they stand against India before attention turns fully to the World Cup Qualifier.
RO-KO RETURN TO CENTRE STAGE
The return of Rohit and Kohli will naturally be one of the biggest talking points around the series. The two veterans remain among the biggest crowd-pullers in Indian cricket, and two days before the opening ODI, they spent a long session batting alongside each other in the nets as India began their preparations.
Kohli added to the interest when he spoke about his motivation to play what could be his last World Cup. With the 2027 tournament now only a year away, the former India captain’s comments put the next 12 months into perspective as he looks towards another World Cup campaign.
Rohit, meanwhile, is back in the format after months of speculation over his ODI future. With both batters now back together, India have two of their most experienced players available as they begin putting their World Cup plans together.
There is history between the two teams at the Greenfield International Stadium as well. The first ODI at the venue was played in 2018, when India faced West Indies. The only other ODI here came five years later, when Kohli smashed 166 and Shubman Gill scored 116 as India recorded their biggest ODI win by runs, beating West Indies by 317 runs.
IND vs WI: PITCH & CONDITIONS
The weather in Thiruvananthapuram has been largely clear over the past two days, although there was a brief but sharp spell of rain about an hour before India’s practice on Friday, September 25. It remained hot and humid on the eve of the match, with India opting not to hold a full practice session and only Auqib Nabi having a batting stint.
Morne Morkel described the conditions as good for batting but said the new-ball phase could be “a bit challenging”, based on feedback from the batters. The most recent international match at the venue was a T20I between India and New Zealand in January, when India scored 271 and New Zealand replied with 225.
Greenfield International Stadium has hosted only two previous ODIs, so the sample size is small, but seamers have generally enjoyed bowling here. The venue has the third-best bowling average for seamers among Indian ODI grounds at 25.35. West Indies found the conditions difficult when they played here in 2018, being bowled out for 104 as Ravindra Jadeja took four wickets. There is minimal threat of rain forecast for Sunday.
IND vs WI: TEAM NEWS & PREDICTED XIs
India captain Shubman Gill is expected to play after an injury scare during the nets. Gill was struck on the elbow by a Mohammed Siraj delivery and left the session with an icepack on the affected area. He did not return to bat, but batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said the following day that the India captain would be fit to play.
Yashasvi Jaiswal remains available as a backup opener if there is a late change, although the expectation is that Gill will take his place at the top of the order. The bigger questions surround the middle order and the balance of the bowling attack.
Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel are among the first-choice players currently with India’s T20I side at the Asian Games, leaving India with some decisions to make. The No.4 position is vacant in Iyer’s absence, with Ruturaj Gaikwad the likely candidate to fill the spot.
India must also decide how much bowling cover they want in the XI. If the team management is confident of getting 10 overs from Nitish Kumar Reddy, they could opt for a batting-heavy combination and hand Naman Dhir his ODI debut in the middle order. If they want greater bowling depth, Gurnoor Brar could retain his place, while Auqib Nabi is another option for a debut.
The bounce seen during the practice sessions could also encourage India to pick three specialist fast bowlers alongside Reddy.
India predicted XI: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Gurnoor Brar, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
West Indies have taken a more measured approach to their preparations, training on only one of the two evenings and easing into the tour rather than going through an intense session. Shai Hope remains the central figure in their batting line-up, but there is a mixture of experience and relatively new faces around the captain.
Jewel Andrew returns after nearly a year away, while Amir Jangoo and Kamil Pooran, aged 29 and 30 respectively, are still relatively young in their international careers. Vitel Lawes adds another option to the spin department, which already has the experienced Motie and Chase.
West Indies will need their experienced players to make an impact if they are to challenge India, particularly given their poor record in bilateral series against their hosts. For Sammy’s side, however, the bigger objective extends beyond these three matches, with the World Cup Qualifier now forming the most important part of their 2027 World Cup journey.
West Indies predicted XI: John Campbell, Justin Greaves/Jewel Andrew, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (c & wk), Amir Jangoo, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales
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