West Indies coach Daren Sammy says the three-match ODI series against world No. 1 India will test his team’s progress and help fine-tune preparations for next year’s World Cup qualifiers.
Thiruvananthapuram, Sept 2026 : West Indies head coach Daren Sammy believes the upcoming three-match ODI series against India will provide his team with a significant opportunity to assess its progress against the world’s top-ranked side and attempt to end a 24-year wait for an ODI series victory on Indian soil.
The three ODIs will be played in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27, Guwahati on September 30 and New Chandigarh on October 3. The West Indies squad arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on September 23 after departing the Caribbean on September 21.
Sammy acknowledged the challenge of facing India in familiar home conditions but said the series would allow his players to measure themselves against one of the strongest teams in world cricket.
“Playing in India is always a great series to take part in. India being the number one team,” Sammy said in a video shared by Cricket West Indies ahead of the series.
He noted that West Indies have not won an ODI series in India for 24 years, describing the upcoming contests as an opportunity for the team to test its capabilities and assess its standing in international one-day cricket.
The series comes at an important stage of the West Indies’ preparations for next year’s ODI qualification campaign. The Caribbean side made significant progress during the qualification cycle but fell six points short of automatic qualification and will therefore have to go through the qualifiers.
Sammy said the team had made considerable progress from its earlier position in the standings.
“Starting from where we were back then, which was, I think, 19 or 20 points behind, and accumulating those points, I thought we made a lot of strides in making a claim to automatic qualification,” he said.
With the qualifiers scheduled for February, Sammy said the India series would be used to fine-tune the squad and provide players with opportunities to establish themselves in different roles.
“Our number one focus is continuing to fine-tune the team so that when we go to the qualifiers, we put ourselves in a position to book our ticket to South Africa,” he said.
Sammy also pointed to encouraging developments in the West Indies batting unit. Captain Shai Hope and Keacy Carty have emerged as important contributors, while several other batters have also scored centuries during the qualification cycle.
“Our batting has come a long way during this period. Shai Hope is not the only one scoring hundreds. We’ve gotten hundreds from different players,” Sammy said.
The coach will also have several selection options to assess against India. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph returns after being part of Antigua’s Caribbean Premier League title-winning campaign, while young players such as Jewel Andrew are expected to receive opportunities.
The West Indies ODI squad is led by Hope and includes John Campbell, who returns after missing the final two ODIs against New Zealand because of a hamstring injury. Andrew replaces Ackeem Auguste, who is recovering from surgery.
All-rounder Shimron Hetmyer has been rested for the ODI series and is expected to join the squad for the subsequent T20I leg.
Sammy indicated that the India series would be particularly useful because it is the team’s final ODI assignment of the year, allowing players to stake their claims ahead of the qualifiers.
Following the ODI series, the West Indies will remain in India for a five-match T20I series from October 6 to 17, with matches scheduled in Lucknow, Ranchi, Indore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
For Sammy and the West Indies, the three ODIs against India will therefore serve a dual purpose: an opportunity to challenge the world’s top-ranked team and an important step in shaping the squad for the qualifying campaign ahead.
