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India vs West Indies, ODI squad announcement Highlights: No return for Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant named Rest of India captain
NewsSportsCricketIND vs WI squad announcement Highlights: No return for Hardik, Pant named ROI captain
India vs West Indies, ODI squad announcement Highlights: No return for Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant named Rest of India captain
India (IND) vs West Indies (WI), ODI series squad announcement Highlights: There is no return for Hardik Pandya for the upcoming India vs West Indies ODIs and T20Is, while Rishabh Pant will be captaining Rest Of India during the Irani Trophy.
India (IND) vs West Indies (WI), ODI squad announcement live. (Image: Reuters)
Hello and welcome to India Today's live coverage of the India vs West Indies, ODI series squad announcement in New Delhi.
IND vs WI: Key pointers from squad selection
There is good news for Kuldeep Yadav, who returns to the T20I side after missing the last four assignments under Shreyas Iyer. Kuldeep last played for India during their clash against Pakistan in February during the T20 World Cup 2026 and is expected to replace Varun Chakravarthy.
India’s T20I Team: Shreyas Iyer [C], Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan [WK], Sanju Samson [WK], Tilak Varma [VC], Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Mayank Yadav.
Rest of India squad: Rishabh Pant [C, WK], Sanat Sangwan, Shikhar Mohan, Sudip Gharami, Sarfaraz Khan [VC], Smaran Ravichandran, Manav Suthar, Saransh Jain, Akash Deep*, Mukesh Kumar, Mukesh Choudhary, Aryan Juyal [WK], Aryan Pandey, Anukul Roy, Ayush Doseja.
IND vs WI: Rohit retains place, No Hardik Pant for ODIs
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been retained in India’s 15-member ODI squad for the three-match series against West Indies, with KL Rahul named Shubman Gill’s deputy. Punjab all-rounder Naman Dhir and Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi have received maiden senior call-ups, while Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant have been left out.
Gill will continue as captain for the series, which begins in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27. The second ODI is scheduled for Guwahati on September 30, with the final match in New Chandigarh on October 3.
Rohit’s selection ends weeks of speculation over his ODI future. The former captain remains part of the side alongside Gill and Kohli after his century against England at Lord’s in July.
The squad has been reshaped by the clash with the Asian Games in Japan, with several regular white-ball players unavailable.
Hardik, who is due to return to competitive cricket on September 20, has not been picked for the West Indies ODIs. He will instead play for India A against Australia A in Puducherry from October 6.
The selectors want Hardik to prove he can handle the demands of ODI cricket, particularly bowling 10 overs, before bringing him back into the national side. With Suryansh Shedge and Venkatesh Iyer also injured, India have turned to Nitish Kumar Reddy as the seam-bowling all-rounder.
Nitish has been withdrawn from the Asian Games squad to join the ODI team.
Pant has also missed out and will captain the Rest of India side against Jammu and Kashmir in the Irani Cup. Ravindra Jadeja returns to the ODI setup, providing additional experience amid the absences.
NAMAN DHIR, AUQIB NABi EARN FIRST CALL-UPS
Naman Dhir has been rewarded for his domestic and IPL performances with his first senior ODI call-up. Auqib Nabi has also earned a maiden selection after impressing for Surrey in the English county circuit.
Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar are the other specialist quicks, while Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav provide the spin options.
Ruturaj Gaikwad is expected to occupy the No. 4 position in Shreyas Iyer’s absence. Iyer will lead India at the Asian Games. Yashasvi Jaiswal is the reserve opener, while Dhruv Jurel provides another wicketkeeping option alongside Rahul.
The West Indies tour comprises three ODIs and five T20Is. The ODI series runs from September 27 to October 3, with the final match coinciding with the Asian Games medal events.
India’s ODI team: 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.
IPL 2027 auction likely to return to India
IPL chairman Arun Dhumal is keen to host the 2027 players' auction in India after the event was held overseas for the past three years.
"Every year we try for this to happen in India, but we don't get the venue given the heavy marriage season. So, we definitely want it to be here this year, given that it would be a smaller auction and hopefully we will get the venue," Dhumal, who is set to be re-elected as IPL chairman at the BCCI AGM on September 18, told PTI.
With Shreyas Iyer away on Asian Games duty, Ruturaj Gaikwad is expected to slot in at No. 4 after Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Yashasvi Jaiswal is likely to be the reserve opener, while Rajat Patidar could provide cover in the middle order. Gaikwad and Patidar are also expected to feature for India A after the West Indies ODIs, with Gaikwad likely to captain the side.
IND vs WI: Will Pant get a chance?
Rishabh Pant played an ODI match way back in 2024. He has since been in and around the squad a few times, but hasn't been successful in dislodging KL Rahul from the lineup.
Rishabh Pant’s underwhelming IPL campaign cost him the Test vice-captaincy and saw him drop out of India’s white-ball plans. However, with Ishan Kishan currently in Japan, the left-hander could still find a way into the 15-member squad, although KL Rahul remains the frontrunner to take the wicketkeeping gloves in ODIs. Rahul is also expected to deputise for captain Shubman Gill in the absence of Shreyas Iyer.
If the selectors ultimately leave Pant out, Dhruv Jurel is likely to get the nod instead. Pant could then be handed the captaincy of the Rest of India side for the Irani Cup.
IND vs WI: Excitement builds before meeting
The excitement is building as we are not far from the selection meeting, which is expected to take place in the next hour or hour and a half.
We are still waiting to see if Hardik Pandya will make his India comeback and whether Rishabh Pant will return to the ODI team after more than two years.
IND vs WI: What's India's schedule for the West Indies series?
IND vs WI: Will Kohli torment West Indies again?
We all know the focus will be on Virat Kohli. And why not? Kohli has been stupendous against the West Indies.
In 43 ODIs against them, Kohli has scored 2,261 runs at an average of 66.50 and a strike rate of 96.95, with nine centuries and 11 fifties to his name.
In fact, Kohli is the only batter to have scored more than 2,000 ODI runs against the West Indies.
IND vs WI: Varun Chakravarth ruled out of Asian Games
Varun Chakravarthy has been ruled out of the remaining two T20Is against Afghanistan and India’s Asian Games campaign after suffering a side strain.
The spinner had recently returned from a two-month injury lay-off and bowled his full four-over quota in the first T20I, taking 1/16.
Leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam has replaced Chakravarthy in the Asian Games squad.
IND vs WI: Squad likely to be announced after 6 pm
As per reports, the selection meeting is expected to begin around 6-6.30 pm, with the selectors set to pick the Indian teams for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against the West Indies.
The meeting will also cover the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup. The selectors are expected to discuss player availability, fitness and workload management before finalising the squads for the upcoming assignments.
IND vs WI: When did Hardik last play competitive cricket?
Hardik Pandya hasn’t played any form of cricket since IPL 2026, where he represented Mumbai Indians.
He missed the ODI series against Afghanistan, followed by India’s tour of the UK, where they played against Ireland and England.
Hardik then missed the T20I series against Zimbabwe and the subsequent T20I series against Afghanistan.
IND vs WI: How India qualified for the ODI World Cup
India have secured direct qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup after finishing among the top eight teams in the ICC ODI rankings.
The rankings cut-off is September 30, with hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe receiving automatic berths.
India are among the teams already assured of a place in the 14-team tournament, which will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
IND vs WI: India win T20I series against Afghanistan
While the focus remains on India’s clash against the West Indies, the Men in Blue have already secured the T20I series against Afghanistan.
India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after beating Afghanistan by seven wickets in the second T20I in Delhi.
Sanju Samson smashed 57 off 20 balls, while India chased down 160 in just 14.5 overs.
IND vs WI: India look to continue stupendous run against West Indies
India have won an astonishing 13 consecutive ODI series against the West Indies and will look to extend their winning run against their Caribbean opponents.
The last time the West Indies emerged victorious in an ODI series was in May 2006, when they won 4-1 at home.
IND vs WI: When did Pant last play an ODI?
Rishabh Pant last played an ODI for India on 7 August 2024, against Sri Lanka in Colombo. He scored 6 runs off 9 balls in the third ODI, which Sri Lanka won by 110 runs.
Pant is now looking to make his ODI comeback after nearly two years, having been away from the format since that Sri Lanka tour.
Rohit Sharma will be the centre of attention when India begin their three-match ODI series against the West Indies.
The former India captain’s ODI future remains a major talking point, particularly with the 2027 World Cup on the horizon.
Rohit, who continues to feature in India’s ODI plans, will be keen to make an impact as the focus shifts to the West Indies series.
IND vs WI: Can West Indies qualify directly for the World Cup?
While the focus will be on India ahead of the three-match ODI series, the West Indies will go into the contest with a bit of disappointment.
The Caribbean side has already missed out on direct qualification for the 2027 ODI World Cup and will enter the Qualifier for a third straight cycle.
However, the India series, beginning September 27, offers valuable preparation ahead of the crucial qualification tournament in February 2027.
IND vs WI: Will it be Agarkar's last meeting as selector?
Could this be Ajit Agarkar’s last meeting as India’s chief selector? Agarkar’s tenure as chairman of the BCCI senior men’s selection committee is set to end this month, having completed three years in the role since his appointment in July 2023.
The BCCI is yet to confirm whether his tenure will be extended. Wednesday’s meeting to pick India’s squad for the West Indies series could, therefore, be his final one.