India have begun shaping their roadmap for the 2027 ODI World Cup, with the three-match series against the West Indies set to provide an early opportunity to assess the team ahead of next year’s global tournament.
The first ODI between India and West Indies is scheduled for September 27 at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel has described the series as the start of the team’s build-up towards the World Cup and stressed that the required standards need to be established well before the tournament.
The 2027 ODI World Cup will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. With the tournament a little over a year away, India have a series of ODI assignments through which the team can assess players, define roles and develop its preferred combination.
India are scheduled to play further ODI cricket against New Zealand and Sri Lanka before the World Cup, giving the team additional opportunities to test its squad and combinations.
A major part of the planning will also involve the roles of senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Both players are currently focused on ODI cricket, while selectors and team management also need to build sufficient depth for the future. Former India selector Sandeep Patil recently said India have enough bench strength to handle the transition whenever it eventually becomes necessary.
The BCCI has also held discussions around the ODI World Cup roadmap, recent results and injury management. The planning process has involved senior board officials, head coach Gautam Gambhir, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and Centre of Excellence chief VVS Laxman, among others.
For India, the period leading up to the World Cup will provide opportunities to identify the right players for specific roles, manage workloads and injuries, and establish a settled combination.
The West Indies series therefore marks the beginning of a longer preparation cycle in which every ODI can contribute to the team’s planning for the 2027 World Cup.
