Darren Sammy sees West Indies ODI series as progress test

India host the West Indies in a three-match ODI series beginning Sunday in Thiruvananthapuram. The series forms part of India's build-up to the 2027 ODI World Cup and comes after the Shreyas Iyer-led side returns from the Asian Games. West Indies head coach Darren Sammy views the matches as an opportunity for his side to measure their improvement ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.

The ODIs will be followed by five T20Is across Lucknow, Ranchi, Indore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru between October 6 and 17. India have made several changes to their squad because several players are unavailable due to the Asian Games. Shubman Gill leads the ODI side, which includes Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, while Shreyas Iyer captains the T20I team.

West Indies last won an ODI series in India in 2006. They have not won a bilateral ODI series in India for 24 years. Sammy said the tour offers his players a chance to assess their progress against the world's top-ranked side.