IND VS WI: West Indies Announces ODI & T20I Squad.

West Indies have finally announced the white-ball squads for the tour of India, and it should come as no surprise that keeper-batter and prolific run-getter Shai Hope has been named captain in both formats, as expected. Jason Holder has been rested and left out of both the squads, which were named late on Saturday. The West Indies are set to play 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is against the Men in Blue, India from September 27th to October 17th across eight cities, with the series starting in Thiruvananthapuram.

West Indies will leave the Caribbean shores or are set to leave post the CPL final on September 21st and will land in Kerala on 23rd September, a few days before the first ODI is set to take place. Hope will lead both 15-member squads against India. West Indies have retained most of the players that featured in the home series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka in the white-ball format.

John Campbell is back in the ODI squad after a hamstring injury kept him out of the last two matches against New Zealand. Also in the side is Jewel Andrew, as he is named in both squads after Ackeem Auguste was ruled out in August following surgery. Also making the squad are Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Gudakesh Motie and the Joseph brothers, as they have been retained for the ODIs.

Jason Holder has been rested while Shimron Hetmyer has been included for T20Is only. 

In other news, Jason Holder has been rested from both squads and will give the India tour a miss, while Shimron Hetmyer will miss the ODI leg of the tour and will join the West Indies team for the five T20Is against India starting on October 6th, after a successful outing in the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League.

In a strong-worded statement, Cricket West Indies said, “Shimron Hetmyer, who featured in the last two matches of the New Zealand series, remains committed but has been permitted an extended recovery period post CPL and will join the squad for the T20 series.” 

Daren Sammy stresses the importance of the ODI series against India. 

West Indies head coach Daren Sammy felt that the ODIs against India still matter a lot even though his team cannot force their way into the automatic qualification spot for the 2027 Men’s ODI Cricket World Cup. The first two matches of the series will end the cycle, and the Windies will have to go through the ICC qualifier next year irrespective of the results of the first two games.

Daren Sammy said, “Playing against the top team in the world presents us with a chance to fine-tune and improve our performances as an ODI team, which has seen quality performances across the cycle. The series also creates a valuable platform to assess players who are stepping into important roles for this series with a long-term target of competing in the World Cup in 2027.” 

Kamil Pooran included in the T20I squad after stellar CPL performances. 

The West Indies have also handed a debut call to opener Kamil Pooran after a stellar CPL season. Pooran scored 273 runs in 8 innings at a strike-rate of 159.64. The West Indies Cricket Board felt that this selection reflected a “deliberate approach towards identifying and developing emerging talent ahead of the 2028 T20 World Cup.” 

Also included in the T20I squad are Quentin Sampson, who was in the T20 World Cup squad earlier in the year, alongside Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein and Shamar Springer. The tour will start with the ODIs on September 27th, 30th and 3rd October in Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati and New Chandigarh. The five T20Is will be played on 6th, 9th, 11th, 14th and 17th October in Lucknow, Ranchi, Indore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. India will, of course, be led by Shubman Gill in ODIs and Shreyas Iyer in T20Is.

West Indies ODI Squad. 

Shai Hope (c), Jewel Andrew, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Vitel Lawes, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales.

West Indies T20I Squad. 

Shai Hope (c), Jewel Andrew, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Kamil Pooran, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer.

A proper white-ball series awaits the West Indies in 8 venues and as many cities across a span of 3 weeks. The West Indies will challenge India, and the Men in Blue will not or can’t take them lightly in the white-ball formats. Yes, at home, they may start as favourites, but still have to play well to win the series.

Also Read: IND vs WI: India Announces Schedule For Bumper Home Season