India host West Indies in a three-match ODI series. Both teams are building toward the 2027 World Cup.
India will open a three-match One Day International series against West Indies on Sunday at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, with both teams using the fixtures to prepare for next year’s 50-over World Cup. The day-night match begins at 2 p.m. local time, with India captained by Shubman Gill and West Indies led by Shai Hope. India enter as favorites but will be without regulars Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, continuing a pattern of selection gaps that has contributed to India losing two of its three ODI series so far this year.
Virat Kohli returns to the India lineup 59 runs short of 15,000 career ODI runs and carries a batting average of 66.50 against West Indies across his career. Rohit Sharma is also part of the squad, with both veterans having trained at the nets ahead of the match. India’s bowling attack includes Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, while Ravindra Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy round out the all-rounder options.
West Indies arrive in India after a 2-3 series loss to New Zealand and have not won a bilateral ODI series in India since 2002. The tourists still face a World Cup qualifying tournament to reach next year’s event, adding weight to their preparation matches. Their bowling group features Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales and Matthew Forde, with Shai Hope and Keacy Carty anchoring the batting order. The two sides have met 142 times in ODI history, with India holding a 72-64 edge and two matches tied.
This report draws on information from ESPNcricinfo and CricTracker.