Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are back, two uncapped players have been handed maiden call-ups, and the venue has staged exactly two ODIs that could not have looked more different. Here is the full picture before the first ball in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.
What BCCI and Cricket West Indies Announced for This Series
The BCCI named a 15-man ODI squad on 16 September, alongside the Rest of the India side for the Irani Cup. Cricket West Indies followed with its own 15 for three ODIs and five T20Is running from 27 September to 17 October across eight cities. Shubman Gill captains India, KL Rahul is vice-captain, and Shai Hope leads the tourists in both formats.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli Return After a Two-Month Gap
Both senior batters come back after a two-month absence, having last played on the England tour in July. Rohit's place had been questioned throughout that trip; he made 11 and 26 in the first two ODIs before scoring 137 in a 388-run chase at Lord's in the finale, in a losing cause. Ravindra Jadeja also returns, having last played an ODI against New Zealand in January, after Axar Patel went to the Asian Games and Harsh Dubey picked up a hamstring injury.
Two absences carry as much weight as the returns. Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya are both out of the limited-overs squads, with Pant leading the Rest of India in the Irani Cup instead. Dhruv Jurel is the wicketkeeping cover alongside Rahul. Gautam Gambhir oversees the ODI side while VVS Laxman travels with the T20I squad to Japan.
Naman Dhir and Auqib Nabi Earn Maiden Call-Ups
Naman Dhir arrives on the back of the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League, where he topped the run charts with 655 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 217.61, including a tournament-best 173. The middle-order batter had originally been picked for India A's one-day series against Australia A before the promotion.
Auqib Nabi is the second uncapped name. The seamer traveled with India's Test squad to Sri Lanka without making his debut, and now gets a first look in the 50-over side. Nitish Kumar Reddy was withdrawn from the Asian Games squad to make room, which tells you how seriously the selectors are treating the 2027 World Cup cycle. The tourists named their own 15 in the same week.
Match Window, Timings and Where the Game Airs
The opener is a day-night fixture at the Greenfield International Stadium, officially The Sports Hub, in Kariavattom on the edge of Thiruvananthapuram. Capacity runs to roughly 50,000, and the ground was India's first stadium built on a design-build-operate-transfer model, on 36 acres leased from the University of Kerala.
Toss Time and Broadcast Schedule
Play starts at 2:00 PM IST, with the toss half an hour earlier. The first session runs from 14:00 to 17:30, the interval occupies the following half hour, and the second session runs from 18:00 to 21:30, per the published match details. All three ODIs share that 2:00 PM slot; the five T20Is that follow start at 7:00 PM IST instead.
Indian viewers get the match on the Star Sports Network on television, with live streaming on JioHotstar. Overseas coverage sits with local rights holders, which for most of the Caribbean means Cricket West Indies' broadcast partners.
How to Follow the 1st ODI in Thiruvananthapuram
A 2:00 PM start on a Sunday is convenient in India and awkward almost everywhere else, so the route you pick matters more than usual. The steps below cover every option from the broadcast to ball-by-ball text.
Check the toss at 1:30 PM IST, since the team sheets and the decision at the coin toss land there rather than at the start of play.
Find the television coverage on the Star Sports Network, which holds the Indian rights for the full eight-match tour.
Open JioHotstar for the stream, selecting the ODI fixture rather than the series page so the feed starts at the right match.
Check ticket availability through the Kerala Cricket Association's official channels, as this is the first international at the ground since January.
Follow ball-by-ball commentary and the India national cricket team vs West Indies cricket team match scorecard on ESPNcricinfo's live page if the broadcast is unavailable in your region.
The Streaming Path on Match Day
JioHotstar carries the series in India, and the fixture sits under the West Indies tour of India listing rather than under a standalone match tile. Subscription status differs by plan and by device, so confirming access before 2:00 PM saves a scramble at the toss. Anyone following from outside India needs a local rights holder instead, since the Indian stream is geo-restricted.
Second screens are part of the routine for a lot of viewers during the drinks breaks and the innings interval, and this Aviator guide sets out how multiplier timing and cash-out thresholds work if that is where your attention goes between overs.
What to Expect and What Remains Uncertain
West Indies arrive without Jason Holder, who has been rested, and without Ackeem Auguste, who is rehabilitating after surgery. John Campbell returns to the ODI squad. Shai Hope is the obvious danger: he averages above 50 in ODIs across 150 matches, with 19 hundreds, and keeps wicket as well.
Pitch and Toss History at This Ground
The venue has hosted two ODIs, not one, and they point in opposite directions. On 1 November 2018, the West Indies cricket team players managed 104 all out in 31.5 overs against India, who knocked off 105 for the loss of one wicket inside 15 overs. That is the match everyone quotes when they call this a low-scoring ground.
The second tells a different story. On 15 January 2023, India batted first against Sri Lanka and posted 390 for 5, then bowled the visitors out for 73 to win by 317 runs, an ODI record margin that still stands. Two matches is a small sample, and the honest conclusion is that this surface has not settled into a pattern.
Workload is the other open question. Jadeja is expected to feature in all three ODIs, while the management has to balance Rohit and Kohli's return against a home season that runs to 22 international matches. Whether both uncapped players get a game in the opener or wait for Guwahati is the selection call worth watching at the toss.
Final Verdict
India's batting looks deeper than at any point since the England tour, with Gill, Rohit, Kohli, Jaiswal, Gaikwad and Rahul available before the all-rounders. Set against that, the West Indies vs India record at this venue rests on one collapse and one thrashing, neither of which tells you much about a 2026 surface after the monsoon.
Item | Before | Now |
Rohit and Kohli | Last seen on the England tour in July | Back in the 15 for all three ODIs |
Uncapped players | None in the previous ODI squad | Naman Dhir and Auqib Nabi called up |
Wicketkeeper | Rishabh Pant in the mix | Dhruv Jurel alongside KL Rahul |
Spin all-rounder | Axar Patel | Ravindra Jadeja, back since January |
Venue ODI record | One match, 104 all out in 2018 | Two matches, the second a 390 for 5 |
Series context | England tour, away conditions | Opening the 2026-27 home season |
Watch the toss closely. Both previous ODIs here were won by the side batting in the more favorable half, and with dew a factor under lights in Kerala in late September, the captain who calls correctly starts ahead. BCCI announced the squads with a single line on its official feed: "TeamIndia ODI and T20I squads announced for West Indies tour of India 2026."
FAQ
When and where is the 1st India vs West Indies ODI?
Sunday 27 September 2026 at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, starting at 2:00 PM IST as a day-night fixture. The toss takes place at 1:30 PM. It opens a three-match series that moves to Guwahati on 30 September and New Chandigarh on 3 October.
Are Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing in this match?
Both are in the 15-man squad, which is not the same as a confirmed XI. Selection for the opener is announced at the toss. Both returned after a two-month gap since the England tour, and the squad also brings back Ravindra Jadeja and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
What happened last time India played an ODI at this venue?
Two ODIs have been played here. In 2018, West Indies were bowled out for 104, and India won by nine wickets. In 2023, India made 390 for 5 against Sri Lanka and won by 317 runs, the biggest margin by runs in ODI history. The West Indies cricket team vs India national cricket team match scorecard from 2018 remains the lower of the two by a distance.
Who are the new players in India's squad?
Naman Dhir and Auqib Nabi. Dhir is a Punjab middle-order all-rounder who scored 655 runs at a strike rate of 217.61 in the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League. Nabi is a seamer who traveled with the Test squad to Sri Lanka without debuting. Both are uncapped in the 50-over format.