India’s preparations for the ODI World Cup 2027 will begin with the three-match ODI series against the West Indies, which will provide an important opportunity for the management to assess the players who could be the best for the tournament. The first ODI will be played in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27, with the second and third matches set to be played in Guwahati and New Chandigarh on September 30 and October 3, respectively. 

Notably, the World Cup will be staged across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2027. And for India, the major challenge is to define roles, look at the combinations and identify the group of players who will be capable of handling challenges in different conditions. Meanwhile, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has made it clear that veteran star Ravindra Jadeja remains in the team's wider plans. 

Speaking ahead of the opening ODI, Kotak said Jadeja is among the group of players who could be in contention for the World Cup and stressed that the all-rounder's experience remains a major asset. Jadeja is back in the Indian squad for the West Indies series after last featuring in the format in January. 

"I think he is obviously in the mix. Jadeja played the South Africa series when Axar was rested. I am not part of the selection committee, so I do not know what their thinking is. I just think whoever is coming and playing for India, they are obviously part of the 20-25 players who possibly can be in the team,” Kotak said at the press conference ahead of the first ODI against the West Indies.

Kotak also highlighted Jadeja's quality as a fielder and his ability to contribute with both bat and ball. 

"Jadeja is an outstanding all-rounder. We all know. You see his records. How the team will be set up and what kind of combination selectors and captain and head coach will go with is secondary. And there is time for that. But Jadeja, to me, is one of the best fielders we still have on a world level as well,” he said.

"He bowls, he bats, and the experience he has, and I actually firmly believe that experience is something you cannot beat. So like we see Rohit Sharma, we see Virat Kohli we see Jadeja. And that brings a lot to the team. Jadeja is obviously a very useful member of the team," he added.