India beats West Indies toss, bowls first in ODI series opener

India's captain Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bowl first in the opening ODI of a three-match series against West Indies at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27, 2026. The decision came on a pitch expected to favour batting, with Gill stating India intended to chase under the lights. India fielded a combination of four specialist bowlers and two all-rounders, including pace options Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar, alongside spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. Notably, batting all-rounder Naman Dhir made his ODI debut for India, while star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli returned to international cricket after retiring from Tests and T20s.

West Indies, captained by Shai Hope, opted for a pace-heavy attack featuring fast bowlers Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph and Matthew Forde, supplemented by medium-pace and spin options. Hope acknowledged the quick turnaround for his team, stating they aimed to replicate recent form from the Caribbean Premier League. The series serves as crucial preparation for the 2027 World Cup Qualifiers, where West Indies seek to fine-tune their combination after missing direct qualification based on ODI rankings. For India, the contest provides preparation for the World Cup and an opportunity to test combinations with approximately 20 matches remaining before the tournament.

In the second ODI on September 30 at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, Auqib Nabi, a 29-year-old pacer from Jammu & Kashmir, made his ODI debut, replacing Nitish Kumar Reddy. Nabi became the third cricketer from Jammu & Kashmir to play international cricket, following spinner Parvez Rasool and pacer Umran Malik. The 29-year-old brought 36 List A appearances and 56 wickets to his debut, with an average of 27.37 and prior experience including a century in domestic cricket. West Indies made four changes to their lineup, including a forced change as centurion Justin Greaves suffered a calf injury, with Keacy Carty moving to open in his place.