With the shadow of ICC World Cup 2027 looming larger, all eyes will be on star duo — Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli — again as India take on the West Indies in the first of the three ODI matches in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday (September 27).
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India vs West Indies 1st ODI: Ro-Ko ready to rock against the Caribbeans
In one lineRohit Sharma and Virat Kohli lead India against West Indies in the first ODI, eyeing World Cup preparations and personal milestones.Key highlights• World Cup 2027 preparationIndia are playing between 14 to 20 ODIs ahead of the global tournament to settle their 15-player squad.• Rohit Sharma’s future scrutinyDespite recent retirement rumours, Rohit aims to maintain his form while knowing failures will invite heavy criticism.• Virat Kohli’s historic milestoneKohli needs 51 runs to become only the second batter in history to score 15,000 ODI runs after Sachin Tendulkar.• SQUAD CHANGES AND INJURIESHardik Pandya’s fresh injury opens up an opportunity for Nitish Kumar Reddy to showcase his white-ball capabilities.Key statistics14 to 20Target ODI matches ahead of World Cup51Runs needed by Kohli for 15,000 ODI runs2 pm ISTMatch start timeSeptember 27Match dateProcessed with AI. Reviewed by DH Digital Team.
India are scheduled to play between 14 to 20 ODIs ahead of the global showpiece, and they would want to make each one of them count to travel to South Africa with a settled 15.
Rohit temporarily shushed the clamour around his future with a typically marauding hundred against England at the Lord’s.
More than anyone else, Rohit will be keen to carry on and stitch some more big scores because, more than anyone else, he will be aware that daggers will be out again in the first instance of a failure.
In contrast, Kohli stands on a firmer ground and will be eager to score 51 runs to become the second batter to score 15,000 ODI runs after Sachin Tendulkar.
The way both Kohli and Rohit batted fluently for some 20 minutes at the nets could be taken as a harbinger of things in store.
The news of Hardik Pandya’s fresh injury might have come as a dampener for all concerned, but that has also increased the significance of Nitish Kumar Reddy finding his range in top level cricket in white ball formats.
From the West Indies perspective, they should forget the disappointment of losing back-to-back home ODI series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka by close margins.
Teams (from)
India: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, K L Rahul [VC], Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Naman Dhir.
West Indies: 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.