West Indies Coach Daren Sammy Views India Series as Crucial World Cup Test

West Indies coach Daren Sammy says the three-match ODI series against India, beginning September 27 in Thiruvananthapuram, will test his team’s progress against the top-ranked side and offer a chance to end a 24-year wait for a bilateral series win in India. He also views the contest as preparation for February’s World Cup qualifiers, after West Indies missed out on direct qualification for the 2027 tournament. Sammy says performing well in Indian conditions would help the team assess its ability to compete at the international level as it works toward securing a place at the World Cup.
West Indies’ last bilateral ODI series victory in India came in 2002, when Carl Hooper’s side defeated Sourav Ganguly’s India.
Sammy said every member of West Indies’ 15-man squad would get an opportunity to contribute, as the series is the team’s last of the year and may be its final outing before the qualifiers.
The ODI series is part of a longer India-West Indies tour that also includes five T20Is; Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are returning to India’s ODI side.
India will also use the series as preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup, with attention on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli amid questions about their prospects of playing in the tournament.
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