Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Auqib Nabi (debut), Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
The Indian cricket team will play an ODI after over two months when they face West Indies in the first of three games on Sunday (September 27) at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvanthapuram. While the team will be boosted by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s presence, who are only active in the 50-over format, they will be without vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan, and star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who are currently in Japan for the 2026 Asian Games, where India will kickstart their campaign on Monday (September 28).
This has left the number four spot open, with both Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal present in the squad, who made a century the last time they played an ODI innings. The former is likely to get the nod after he batted at the position in Shreyas’ absence during the home series against South Africa last year. However, India did demote Shubman to give Jaiswal game time against Afghanistan earlier this year, but with Virat set to play at number three, that is unlikely to start the series. Although with no left-hander in the top six, that is a possibility that cannot be ruled out. KL Rahul is set to retain his role as the first-choice wicket-keeper which means Dhruv Jurel will have to wait for his maiden ODI cap.
Nitish Kumar Reddy missed the series against England due to an injury, but he was drafted out of the Asian Games squad, which means the team sees him as a vital part of the playing XI, especially with Hardik Pandya still missing due to injury. Ravindra Jadeja is set to play an ODI after more than nine months without being picked for the last two series.
Auqib Nabi is likely to get a debut for India as, with Harshit Rana nursing an injury, the team will be looking for a pacer who can bat at number eight. The pacer got a maiden ODI call-up following his first-ever Test selection for the tour of Sri Lanka last month. However, he did not play either of the two Tests in the Island nation, which means he is in line for a first-ever India appearance.
Kuldeep Yadav will be the team’s lead spinner,r with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna set to lead the pace unit.
India Likely XI in first ODI vs West Indies: Shubman Gil (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Auqib Nabi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
India’s ODI squad vs West Indies: Shubman Gill [C], Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul [VC], Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Naman Dhir.