Team India will aim to get back to winning ways in the 50-over format when they host West Indies in a 3-match ODI series starting on Sunday, 27th September, 2026. The first of those three ODIs is scheduled to be played at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. There are five T20Is between the two teams later in October, but our focus is on ODI cricket with a year to go for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
India is set to be led by Shubman Gill and will want to get back to winning ways after being in indifferent form in this format of the game. They lost to England in England last July, 1-2. Their ODI form after the Champions Trophy 2025 has been patchy, to say the least. The squad has had reinforcements, with many players going to Japan for the Asian Games, but all eyes will be on veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, with the crowds cheering them on.
West Indies will be led by Shai Hope, and he will lead a pace attack against the Indians. West Indies will have to play the Qualifiers in February-March 2027 to earn a ticket to the showpiece event as they are ranked 10th in the standings. Even if they upstage India, it won’t make any difference to their fortunes, but they will be eager to compete and prove a point as well. The stage is set for an interesting contest, weather permitting in South India.
Overview
We are all set for the start of the 3-match ODI series as India hosts West Indies in the first of the three matches at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday 27th September, 2026 from 2 PM IST onwards. India will be led by Shubman Gill, while West Indies will be led by Shai Hope. On paper in the rankings, it’s a mismatch as India are ranked 1st despite being in patchy form, and West Indies are ranked 10th and will have to play the qualifiers. But this is cricket, and West Indies will have a point to prove in this series for sure.
It’s been a patchy run for India under the leadership of Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir. After the 2025 Champions Trophy triumph, India’s stocks have declined in ODIs under Gill. India lost to Australia in Australia 2-1. They beat South Africa at home 2- 1 under KL Rahul. They lost to New Zealand at home 1-2 again under Gill. Thereafter, they brushed Afghanistan aside 3-0 before losing to England in England 1-2. Gill has won just one series as ODI captain so far after being appointed.
And despite that, because of India’s consistent run earlier under Rohit Sharma, India have managed to cling onto the Number 1 ranked spot, but for how long is the question. Because the Men in Blue, after this 3-match ODI series, have a 5-match ODI series away to 2nd-ranked New Zealand. Coming back to this series, India have named a rejigged squad for this ODI series, with certain key players away in Japan for the Asian Games.
Shubman Gill will lead the side, with KL Rahul, the wicketkeeper-batter, acting as his deputy, with Shreyas Iyer leading the side in Japan. India welcomes back its legends Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma into the squad after a 2-month breather. Yashasvi Jaiswal is the reserve opener in this squad. Also back in the side is Ruturaj Gaikwad in the middle order and may slot in at 4, the place left vacant by Iyer. Dhruv Jurel will be the reserve wicket-keeper in the side for Rahul.
All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is also included in the squad after being pulled out of the Asian Games squad and drafted as a replacement for injured Hardik Pandya. With Axar Patel unavailable due to the Asian Games, Ravindra Jadeja returns, and the experienced all-rounder will want to prove a point as well. Kuldeep Yadav is a part of this squad. The pacers include spearhead Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Gurnoor Brar. Auqib Nabi has earned a maiden call-up to the squad alongside reserve middle-order batter Naman Dhir.
The squad is looking good, and it will be interesting to see the playing XI of India on Sunday. They will no doubt start this series as favourites despite being in patchy form in this format. They have to guard against complacency and taking things for granted.
West Indies will be led by their best batter, Shai Hope, who will also keep wickets. West Indies are ranked 10th in the rankings, and with 11th-placed Zimbabwe designated as hosts for the World Cup, the men from the Caribbean for the second consecutive time will have to play the Qualifiers like they had to do in 2023. In 2023, they failed to make it to the showpiece event, and all the fans will be hoping that history does not repeat itself.
A financial crisis has hit the West Indies, with players being given a 25% pay cut to their salaries and two tournaments in domestic cricket, Super 50 and Blaze, being called off. The players have agreed to support the board for now, but may have ramifications later on. Coming back to action on the field, West Indies haven’t had a great time in ODIs earlier. In late June, they lost the 3-match series against Sri Lanka 1-0, with two games abandoned. They played New Zealand in a thrilling 5-match ODI series and lost that 2-3. That sealed their fate in the Qualifiers.
West Indies have a battery of fast bowlers at their disposal. They have Shamar and Alzarri Joseph. Jayden Seales is there alongside Keemo Paul and Vitel Lawes as well. Justin Greaves may act as the all-rounder to the side. Matthew Forde is a handy batter down the order. The spin bowling duties shall be handled by Test skipper Roston Chase and Gudakesh Motie.
As far as the batting goes, it revolves around Shai Hope. When there is hope, or you need hope for the West Indies, call on Shai Hope. Jewel Andrew is a part of the squad and is a reserve keeper, and so is Amir Jangoo. John Campbell is back in the squad after an injury, and he is a top-order batter. Keacy Carty is also a handy batter. Sherfane Rutherford is also a handy batter down the order and can be the finisher that they need. The visitors have a decent squad. But they will start this series as underdogs. Who doesn’t like an underdog story in the end?
Can West Indies topple and upset India in this David vs Goliath battle on paper? Well, only time will have the answer, weather permitting.
Head-To-Head
India and West Indies have played against each other in a total of 142 matches, with India winning 72 of them and West Indies 64. 2 matches have ended in a Tie and 4 have ended in a No Result. In India, the Men in Blue have won 32 matches in 61 games. In the last 10 matches, it’s 9-1 in India’s favour. They last met in 2023 when India toured the West Indies, and the last match was on 1st August, which India won by 200 runs.
Pitch & Weather ReportÂ
The pitch at the Greenfield International Stadium is a balanced track that offers good bounce and initial seam movement for pacers with the new ball. The surface tends to grip and slow down as the match progresses, helping the spinners find turn and making cutter variations effective. Batting and bowling first records are evenly split, but evening dew can sometimes make chasing under lights easier.
The conditions in Thiruvananthapuram are set to be warm and humid, and partly cloudy skies are expected during the afternoon start at 2 PM IST. There is no major threat of heavy or continuous rain, though localised forecasts note high humidity and a passing cloud cover or shower. Winds at around 18 km/hr may assist the fast bowlers with some movement early in the innings.
Probable Playing XIs of both the sides
Here, we will try to predict the probable playing XIs of both the sides.
India XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj.
West Indies XI: Shai Hope (c & wk), John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Jewel Andrew, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Alzarri Joseph.
Key Players to watch out for during this clash
Virat Kohli: He may be on the older side, but brings great intensity onto the field. Virat Kohli is the greatest ODI batter in the world. He might not be the best now, but he is not far from it. He got a couple of 70s against England and expectations will be high from him from the fans and so he will be under the spotlight. Virat has a decent record against West Indies, and the last time he played an ODI in Thiruvananthapuram back in 2022, he smashed a huge 166. So, he will want to get into rhythm and score a significant score for India.
Mohammed Siraj: With the pitch expected to aid the seamers a little bit, Mohammed Siraj will be raring to go. Back in the side in the ODI format after a while, Siraj will look to make a mark and strike with the new ball. He will be responsible for leading an inexperienced Indian bowling attack in this series. Siraj needs to show them the way and lead from the front by taking wickets.
Shai Hope: When there is hope, or you need hope, then call on Shai Hope. This is what West Indies have been all about. The captain of West Indies has been a prolific run-scorer in ODIs and at one point was challenging Rohit and Virat for most runs in a year back in 2018-19. He is the fulcrum of this batting group, and much will depend on him. He is a steady player, and West Indies needs steadiness in their batting. Hope will want to do well and get in to go big, as that can help the visitors challenge India.
Shamar Joseph: The bowling will depend on speedsters Shamar and Alzarri to strike for them. Shamar has been in decent form, and so has Alzarri. Shamar will want to get his rhythm right and strike for the West Indies early on. If they can get early wickets and remove the experienced Indian batters, West Indies will have a chance to keep India down to a sizeable total. The pacers are their strengths and would like to target the Indian top order early.
Key Stats and Records to look out for ahead of this clash
- Virat Kohli needs 59 runs to complete 15,000 runs in ODIs. He has amassed 2261 runs at an average of 66.50 with 9 tons against the West Indies, which is the record for the most ODI runs against them.
- Rohit Sharma needs 105 runs to complete 12,000 runs in ODIs.
- Only 2 ODIs have been played at this venue, and West Indies in 2018 were bowled out for 104, and India chased it down in 14.5 overs. India later posted 390/3 against Sri Lanka in January 2023.
- India leads the overall Head-To-Head score by 72-64 in all ODIs.
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Predicted/Possible Outcome of the Match
Cricket is a funny game, and it tends to surprise us a lot. It’s difficult to predict what will happen on a given day. Assuming there will be no rain and a full game takes place, India will start as favourites. They are playing at home, and despite being in indifferent form, they should beat the West Indies. But things should not be taken lightly, and West Indies may stun and surprise India if the Men in Blue are not careful. It’s 1 vs 10 in the rankings on paper.
West Indies has to play out of their skins to push India hard and even topple them. But at this stage, we reckon India have their noses in front to take an early lead in the series. Let’s see how Super Sunday pans out for all of us.
Also Read:Â IND vs WI: West Indies Announces ODI & T20I Squad