India's ODI squad has assembled in Thiruvananthapuram ahead of the series opener, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both back in the fold and Rohit putting in visible net sessions at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in the buildup. The three-match series against West Indies opens at the Greenfield International Stadium on September 27, and the venue's own history gives this opener a sharper edge than a routine home series curtain-raiser.
Thiruvananthapuram has hosted only a handful of men's ODIs, and the two on record could not be more different. The venue's first, in November 2018, saw India beat West Indies comfortably by nine wickets. Its most recent, against Sri Lanka in January 2023, produced the opposite extreme: India piled up 390 for 5 with centuries from Kohli (166) and Shubman Gill (116), before bowling Sri Lanka out for just 73 — a 317-run win that stood as the largest winning margin by runs in men's ODI history. Both India centurions from that day are now central to this squad, Gill as ODI captain and Kohli as a returning senior batter.
Away from those two outlier scorelines, the Greenfield surface has generally leaned toward bowlers rather than batters in List A cricket, with an average first-innings total in the low 200s. The new-ball bowlers on both sides — Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna for India, Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph for West Indies — should find early assistance, while a heavy dew factor historically shifts the advantage toward the side batting second once the lights come on. Winning the toss and bowling first is the conventional read on this ground, though a shirt-front day-night script like January 2023 is always possible.
India's 15 for the ODIs reads: Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (vc, wk), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Naman Dhir, with Nabi and Dhir both uncapped in the format. West Indies counter with Shai Hope leading a squad heavy on their current white-ball regulars — Jewel Andrew, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Alzarri and Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie and Sherfane Rutherford among them — though Shimron Hetmyer has been rested for the ODI leg and only returns for the T20Is.
A ground with a modest par score and history of two-paced conditions rewards a fantasy team built around control bowlers and finishers rather than a top-order-heavy XI. Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav offer the volume of overs a slower surface typically favours, while a returning Rohit and Kohli carry obvious captaincy appeal but also the streaky risk that comes with a first game back after time out of the format — a differential vice-captain lower in the order, such as Jurel or Nitish Kumar Reddy, is a reasonable hedge if either senior batter fails to fire. On the West Indies side, Shamar Joseph's recent form makes him the pick of their seam options for wickets-based scoring.
Beyond the three points on offer, this is the first ODI outing in nearly two months for both Rohit and Kohli, and an early opportunity for Gill to stamp his captaincy on a squad that blends the old guard with uncapped depth in Nabi and Dhir. For West Indies, it's the first assignment for a squad rebuilt around Hope's captaincy after Jason Holder's rest from the tour.
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Squad, venue and pitch details are verified against same-day reporting and official scorecards, current as of September 25, 2026.
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