India and West Indies are getting ready to face each other in the opening match of their three-game ODI series at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, with the ODI World Cup preparations being the focus of the series. The global event is still almost a year away, but this series will give both teams a chance to experiment and assess players in order to build fine combinations for the showpiece event which will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

For India, the next World Cup carries great importance following the disappointment of 2023. After reaching the final, India had lost to Australia, suffering a crushing heartbreak. Since then, India have had a mixed performance in ODIs, experiencing both victories and defeats in bilateral series, winning four and losing four. However, India will be buoyed by the fact they secured the Champions Trophy title in 2025, which will put a sense of encouragement in the lineup.

India will be led by Shubman Gill amid the presence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who both will be looking to rack up runs to solidify their spot in the team. India, meanwhile, will miss the services of their star players Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, and Arshdeep Singh, who are unavailable due to their participation in the Asian Games. West Indies, on the other hand, have different priorities going into this match.

They failed to qualify for the 2023 ODI World Cup, and their path to the 2027 tournament will again need them to play the Qualifiers, with this series playing a major role in their preparation. Shai Hope, who is a key figure in the West Indies batting lineup, will lead the side. The return of John Campbell provides another option at the top of the order, while Keacy Carty, Roston Chase and Sherfane Rutherford further solidify the squad. 

Head-to-head

Matches - 142

India won - 72

WI won - 64

Tied - 2

No result - 4

India likely XI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna

West Indies likely 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