India will field two international sides at once from next week, and the squad sheet released by the BCCI on Tuesday evening is really three announcements stacked into one press release.
There is the ODI team for the West Indies, which answers the question that has hung over Indian cricket for a year. There is the T20I team, which does not include most of the players who will actually be in Japan. And there is the Asian Games squad, quietly amended twice in a week. Taken together it is the clearest picture yet of how India intend to split their resources through a compressed October.
India's ODI Squad for the West Indies
Fifteen players, captained by Shubman Gill, with KL Rahul as vice-captain.
The headline is the one that was never quite guaranteed in the build-up: Rohit Sharma is in. So is Virat Kohli. Neither has played the format regularly since Gill took over the ODI captaincy in 2025, and Rohit's most recent 50-over appearance produced a century against England at Lord's — a result that made an already unresolved selection argument considerably harder to settle quietly.
With the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia now a little over a year away, this is the window in which the squad has to start looking like the one that will travel. Retaining both senior batters suggests the selectors are not ready to close that door on form alone.
Two names in the list have never been picked for India before. Naman Dhir, the Punjab all-rounder, arrives on the back of a domestic and IPL profile built around middle-order hitting and useful off-spin. Auqib Nabi, the Jammu and Kashmir seamer, comes in after a Ranji Trophy season in which his state won the title — a competition win that also sets up the Irani Cup fixture mentioned further down this page.
The other notable inclusion is Mohammed Siraj, restored to the ODI attack alongside Prasidh Krishna and the uncapped Gurnoor Brar. Ravindra Jadeja returns as the left-arm spin option with Axar Patel unavailable, and Dhruv Jurel is the second wicketkeeper behind Rahul.
India's T20I Squad for the West Indies
Also fifteen, captained by Shreyas Iyer, with Tilak Varma as vice-captain.
This squad is the direct continuation of the side that has just beaten Afghanistan, with two significant changes at the bowling end. Jasprit Bumrah is not in it — he is in Japan. Nor is Varun Chakaravarthy, for a different reason covered below.
In their place come Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav, two express-pace options whose selection says something about how India are using this series. The T20 World Cup cycle has restarted, the first-choice attack is not settled beyond Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, and five matches across five venues in eleven days is a reasonable place to look at pace that has mostly been seen in the IPL.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is again in the squad. At 15 he is now a fixture in these lists rather than a novelty, having been picked for the Asian Games as well — which means, in practice, that he is likely to travel to Japan and then join up at home.
The Asian Games Squad — and Two Late Changes
The reason India need two squads at all is a calendar collision. The Asian Games 2026 cricket competition in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan runs from September 24 to October 3, which overlaps precisely with all three West Indies ODIs.
Two amendments were confirmed in the same release. Varun Chakaravarthy has been ruled out with a side strain, and Vipraj Nigam comes in as his replacement — a meaningful loss, given Chakaravarthy has been India's most reliable wicket-taking spinner in the format. Nitish Kumar Reddy, originally named for the Asian Games, has been withdrawn and moved to the West Indies ODI squad instead.
He is not the only recent change. Six days earlier, Yash Thakur had already replaced Harshit Rana in the Afghanistan and Asian Games squads. This is a group that has been reshuffled three times in a fortnight.
India vs West Indies 2026: Full Schedule
Eight matches across eight venues, from Trivandrum in the south to Guwahati in the north-east. ODIs start at 2:00pm IST; all five T20Is are night games at 7:00pm IST.
| Match | Day & Date | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI | Sunday, 27 September | Trivandrum | 2:00 PM |
| 2nd ODI | Wednesday, 30 September | Guwahati | 2:00 PM |
| 3rd ODI | Saturday, 3 October | New Chandigarh | 2:00 PM |
| 1st T20I | Tuesday, 6 October | Lucknow | 7:00 PM |
| 2nd T20I | Friday, 9 October | Ranchi | 7:00 PM |
| 3rd T20I | Sunday, 11 October | Indore | 7:00 PM |
| 4th T20I | Wednesday, 14 October | Hyderabad | 7:00 PM |
| 5th T20I | Saturday, 17 October | Bengaluru | 7:00 PM |
The tour opens India's 2026-27 home international season. There are no Tests on this itinerary — the West Indies are here for white-ball cricket only.
The Rest of India Squad for the Irani Cup
The same release named the Rest of India side for the Irani Cup against Ranji Trophy champions Jammu & Kashmir, and it is worth reading alongside the international squads.
Rishabh Pant captains — which also explains his absence from the white-ball squads. Rahul and Jurel take the keeping duties in the ODI side while Pant leads a first-class match instead. Sarfaraz Khan is his deputy.
What the Selections Actually Tell Us
Three things stand out once the three lists are read together.
The ODI squad is a 2027 squad. Rohit, Kohli, Rahul, Jadeja and Siraj alongside Gill, Jaiswal and Gaikwad is not a transitional side — it is the senior group being given 50-over cricket while there is still time to build combinations before a World Cup on unfamiliar grounds.
The T20I squad is a depth exercise. With Bumrah and Chakaravarthy unavailable, five matches become an audition for the pace attack that supports them. Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav have a genuine opportunity here.
The spin stocks are thin right now. Chakaravarthy injured, Jadeja needed in ODIs, Axar split across formats, and Kuldeep Yadav named in both West Indies squads. Kuldeep is the one player in this announcement being asked to do the most.
For the current series, see our preview of the India vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I in Delhi, and our report on the Women's Asia Cup 2026 final.
Squad lists, schedule, venues and start times are taken from the BCCI media advisory dated September 16, 2026, with additional reporting from CricTracker and ESPNcricinfo. Squads are subject to change; the BCCI has already made three replacements across these groups this month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is India's captain for the West Indies series 2026?
Shubman Gill captains the ODI side with KL Rahul as vice-captain. Shreyas Iyer captains the T20I side with Tilak Varma as vice-captain.
Is Rohit Sharma in India's ODI squad against West Indies?
Yes. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are both named in the 15-member ODI squad, keeping both in India's plans ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.
When does the India vs West Indies 2026 series start?
The first ODI is on Sunday, September 27, 2026 in Trivandrum at 2:00pm IST. The tour ends with the fifth T20I in Bengaluru on October 17.
Who are the uncapped players in India's ODI squad?
Naman Dhir of Punjab and Auqib Nabi of Jammu and Kashmir have been named in an India ODI squad for the first time.
Why does India have two separate squads at the same time?
The Asian Games 2026 cricket competition in Japan runs from September 24 to October 3, overlapping with all three West Indies ODIs. India are fielding a separate side in Japan under Shreyas Iyer while Shubman Gill leads the ODI team at home.
Why is Varun Chakaravarthy missing?
He has been ruled out of the Japan T20I and the Asian Games with a side strain. Vipraj Nigam replaces him.
Are there any Tests on the West Indies tour of India 2026?
No. This tour is three ODIs and five T20Is only, running from September 27 to October 17, 2026.
Why is Rishabh Pant not in the white-ball squads?
Pant has been named captain of the Rest of India side for the Irani Cup against Ranji Trophy champions Jammu & Kashmir, which is being played in the same window.