Former Chennai Super Kings batter Subramaniam Badrinath has picked his preferred India playing XI for the first ODI against West Indies, scheduled to be played at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27. The three-match ODI series will be followed by a five-match T20I series between the two teams.
Badrinath shared his selection through his Instagram handle, with captain Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma opening the innings. Virat Kohli has been slotted at No. 3, giving India a familiar top-order combination.
At No. 4, Badrinath opted for Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of Dhruv Jurel and Naman Dhir. Both players have strong recent performances behind them. Naman Dhir was the leading run-scorer in the Sher-E-Punjab T20 League, amassing 655 runs at a remarkable strike rate of nearly 218.
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Jurel, meanwhile, has also made a strong case for selection after scoring an unbeaten 115 in his most recent appearance for India during the second Test against Sri Lanka.
Badrinath then selected KL Rahul at No. 5, followed by all-rounders Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravindra Jadeja at No. 6 and No. 7. His bowling attack includes Kuldeep Yadav, followed by pacers Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj and Gurnoor Brar.
The XI means Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Naman Dhir and Auqib Nabi miss out despite being part of India’s 15-member squad.
India have traditionally enjoyed a strong record against West Indies in bilateral cricket. West Indies’ last bilateral series victory over India came in the 2023 five-match T20I series. Their last ODI series win against India came in 2006, while their most recent ODI series victory on Indian soil was recorded in 2002.
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India and West Indies most recently faced each other at the 2026 T20 World Cup, where India secured a five-wicket victory in the final over to progress to the semi-finals. The last bilateral series between the teams was the 2025 two-Test series in India, which the hosts won 2-0.
Badrinath’s predicted India XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar.
