SportsPosted at: Sep 26 2026 4:16PM


Rohit, Kohli back in focus as India begin World Cup preparations against West Indies

New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) With the ICC World Cup 2027 already looming, India’s focus will once again turn to Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli when they face the West Indies in the first of a three-match ODI series at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

India have lost two of their last three ODI series and will be keen to use the series to build momentum ahead of next year’s World Cup in South Africa, where they will be chasing
a third title after their campaign ended in the final in 2023.

India are scheduled to play between 14 and 20 ODIs before the global showpiece, making every series important as they look to settle their combination and identify the players who will make
up their final squad.

Rohit returns to the format with plenty of attention on him. The former captain eased some of the speculation surrounding his future with a dominant hundred against England at Lord’s, but another strong run of scores will be important as India begin their World Cup preparations.
Kohli, meanwhile, has a more immediate milestone in sight. He needs 51 runs to become only the second batter after Sachin Tendulkar to score 15,000 ODI runs.

Both looked in good touch during a short net session, offering an encouraging sign for India ahead
of the series.

The fresh injury to star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, however, has complicated India's plans. His absence puts greater responsibility on Nitish Kumar Reddy, who will be expected to establish himself as a reliable option in the white-ball setup.

India bowling coach Morne Morkel has described the West Indies series as the beginning of the team’s World Cup build-up and wants the players to start operating at the required level
immediately.
“Whoever walks onto the field now, up to the World Cup, needs to know that there is a certain standard we need to achieve. I want these players to put themselves under as much pressure,” Morkel said.

“You can't decide a month or a week before the tournament that we're going to step things up. It starts now with this series against the West Indies,” he added.

The former Proteas pacer also wants the players to embrace difficult situations rather than shy away from them as India build depth and flexibility in the side.

“We've challenged the bowlers when conditions are tough, or there are certain partnerships that are developing. I want to see guys asking for the ball and wanting to create those opportunities and not be sort of protecting their own space,” he said.

“If we are maybe 30/4, who's going to get that partnership and get us a hundred? If we can throw ourselves into certain situations and guys can figure out ways to play that situation, there will be growth, and that will help us down the line,” he added.

For the West Indies, the series provides an opportunity to put behind them narrow defeats in their last two home ODI series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

Squads:
India: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, K L Rahul [VC], Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Auqib Nabi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Naman Dhir.

West Indies: Shai Hope (C), Jewel Andrew, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Vitel Lawes, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales.
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Tags: #Rohit# Kohli back in focus as India begin World Cup preparations against West Indies
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