West Indies captain Shai Hope begins the three-match ODI series against India today at Thiruvananthapuram, needing one century to move into sole possession of second place on the West Indies’ all-time list. Hope currently has 19 ODI centuries, tying him with Brian Lara and leaving him six behind Chris Gayle’s record of 25. Hope holds a batting average of 74.10 on Indian soil.
The West Indies are attempting to end a series drought in the format, having not won a bilateral ODI series in India since the 2002-2006 period. “We always say we haven’t beaten this team in 20 years or 15 years. It will definitely be adding motivation,” Hope said regarding the team’s objective.
India’s squad, captained by Shubman Gill, includes Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli but is without Jasprit Bumrah and Shreyas Iyer due to 2026 Asian Games commitments. Nitish Kumar Reddy was added to the ODI team after being withdrawn from the Asian Games roster. Uncapped players Naman Dhir and Auqib Nabi are also included as the hosts evaluate bowling options in Bumrah’s absence.
The series offers the West Indies a chance to build consistency before they participate in the ICC qualification tournament next year. The team can no longer mathematically secure direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup. Hope acknowledged the difficulty of the assignment: “Playing India in their backyard is always a challenge. It’s one that we definitely need to grasp and embrace.”
The match is scheduled for a 2:00 PM IST start at the Greenfield International Stadium. This series opener is the first of eight matches across the tour, which includes three ODIs and five T20Is across eight Indian venues through October 17.
