West Indies' long route to 2027 ODI World Cup starts in India

India will play a three-match ODI series against the West Indies starting September 27 in Thiruvananthapuram, followed by five T20Is. The series marks India's preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Shubman Gill will lead India in the ODI series, while Shreyas Iyer will captain the T20I side. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will return to the ODI setup, with Kohli stating that the 2027 World Cup will be his last for India.

Virat Kohli, who has scored 14,941 runs in One-day Internationals, aims to give his all to help India lift the 2027 World Cup trophy. According to Dawn, Kohli said the demands of a 50-over World Cup make it one of cricket's toughest challenges. The 2027 edition will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October and November.

India have lost seven of their last 15 games in the ODI format, as per The Indian Express. The team will be without Hardik, Bumrah, and Iyer for the series against the West Indies, who are ranked tenth. ESPNcricinfo reports that for India, the series is about getting back to winning ways.

Brief written by urgent.news from ESPNcricinfo, Yahoo Sports, Dawn, The Indian Express, Business Recorder — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.