Sammy frames the India ODI series as West Indies' last test before the World Cup Qualifiers

West Indies coach Daren Sammy has cast the three-match ODI series in India as the last measure of his side before next February's World Cup Qualifiers

West Indies open their tour at Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday carrying a run of 24 years without an ODI series win in India, a figure Daren Sammy put front and centre when he spoke before the first match.

"We haven't won a series for 24 years in India. It is a great opportunity for us to come here and challenge ourselves to see where we stand in ODIs," the head coach said.

The three matches are the last 50-over cricket the side will play before the 2027 World Cup Qualifiers in February, which West Indies must come through to reach a tournament hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

A benchmark set against the hosts

Sammy's case is that a touring side learns more from India at home than from almost any other assignment on the calendar.

"If you want to win a big ICC event in white-ball cricket, you have to beat India," he said. "We are playing them in an away series, and if we perform well, it would give a fair idea as to where we stand on the world stage."

He described the series as an opportunity against "the number one team in the world", a side Shubman Gill will lead across the three matches with KL Rahul as his deputy.

West Indies are captained by Shai Hope, who was named to lead the squad Cricket West Indies picked for the white-ball leg of the tour.

All fifteen expected to play

Because this is the last ODI assignment before February, Sammy said every member of the 15-man squad is expected to get time in the middle over the three games.

It is a selection exercise as much as a preparation one, with the staff looking to settle a combination in Indian conditions rather than experiment once the Qualifiers begin.

The squad travelled without Ackeem Auguste, who is recovering from surgery, and without Shimron Hetmyer, who was rested after the Caribbean Premier League. Jewel Andrew was named as a replacement.

Lawes the find of the New Zealand series

The clearest gain of the recent run has been Vitel Lawes, a 19-year-old wristspinner who took eight wickets on debut against New Zealand at an economy rate of 5.30.

"Vitel has been a find for us, and we all saw what he did against New Zealand in the ODI series," Sammy said. "Vitel is a spinner we were looking for, and he was magnificent straightaway."

Those wickets came in Lawes's first international series, played in July, and he is the one specialist wristspinner in the party that has travelled to India.

Runs spread through the order

Sammy pointed to Amir Jangoo and Sherfane Rutherford among the batters who have contributed through the recent ODI run, and to Alzarri Joseph rediscovering his form with the ball.

The coach's read is that the side has made strides in the format, with the scoring shared rather than resting on one or two names.

India's squad is without several first-choice players, with Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel among those on Asian Games duty in Japan.

Three venues in eight days

The series moves from Thiruvananthapuram to Guwahati on September 30 and finishes at New Chandigarh on October 3.

A five-match T20I leg follows from October 6, giving the tour eight white-ball fixtures in three weeks.

Ravindra Jadeja returns to India's ODI squad after being left out earlier in the year, alongside Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, in a group that also hands maiden call-ups to Naman Dhir and Auqib Nabi.

The first ODI begins at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

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