|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Kamil Pooran earned his maiden West Indies T20I call-up after a strong CPL campaign. He joins a 15-member squad for India.
Trinidad and Tobago opener Kamil Pooran has earned his first call-up to the West Indies men’s T20 International squad for the upcoming tour of India, following a productive campaign in the 2026 Caribbean Premier League. The 30-year-old right-handed batter was included in a 15-member squad announced by Cricket West Indies, with Shai Hope named captain for the five-match T20I series.
Pooran’s selection follows a CPL season in which he scored 273 runs in eight innings for Saint Lucia Kings. He finished with an average of 39 and a strike rate of 159.64, numbers that placed him among the leading run-scorers during the tournament and helped secure his first opportunity at the international level.
The West Indies will play India in three ODIs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3 before the five-match T20I series begins Oct. 6 and runs through Oct. 17. The tour will take place across multiple Indian venues, with the West Indies squad scheduled to arrive in Thiruvananthapuram on Sept. 23.
Pooran is joined in the T20I squad by Quentin Sampson, who returns after being part of the West Indies squad at the T20 World Cup earlier this year, while Shimron Hetmyer is also included after being given additional recovery time following the CPL. Experienced all-rounder Jason Holder has been rested for the series.
The selection is part of Cricket West Indies’ wider effort to develop its T20 group ahead of the 2028 T20 World Cup. The India series will also provide international experience for players moving into expanded roles within the squad.
The ODI squad, also led by Hope, includes the return of John Campbell after he missed the final two ODIs against New Zealand because of a hamstring injury. Jewel Andrew replaces Ackeem Auguste, who remains in rehabilitation after surgery in August.
Sources: Cricket West Indies, ICC, ESPNcricinfo, ESPN, Trinidad Express, The Guardian and CMC.