West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has urged his players to embrace the challenge of taking on India in their own backyard, describing the upcoming ODI series as a crucial test of the team’s progress and ambitions.
West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has issued a rallying call for the squad as they gear up to face India in their backyard. He believes it would be a great opportunity for the team to put up a good display against the Men in Blue as they kick off preparations for the 2027 World Cup qualifiers.
India will host the West Indies for a white-ball series, starting with a three-match ODI series in Trivandrum. Veteran cricketers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be back in the blues, while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja jas also been called up for the 50-over
Sammy wants to break the streak
Speaking ahead of the India-West Indies ODI series, Sammy emphasised that the Caribbean side has not won an ODI series against India in the past 24 years, making the upcoming series a rare chance to challenge their abilities and assess their progress in the 50-over format.
“It is 24 years since we have won a series here in India. So it is a great opportunity for us as a team to come out here and challenge ourselves and measure ourselves as to where we are in ODIs. And I think it is a great opportunity for us, the players that we have, to come and put in a good show against India and look to win a series, something we’ve not done in 24 years,” Sammy said, as quoted by Cricinfo.
More from Firstcricket‘You have to beat India’
The Windies head coach added that beating India in their conditions will be the ultimate benchmark for any team aspiring to win an ICC white-ball tournament. It would also highlight their competitiveness and capability on the global stage.
“If you have to win a major ICC event, especially in the white-ball format, you have to beat India. And we are playing them here at home in their conditions, and performing well and winning gives us a fair idea as to what we could do as a team and how capable we are in competing on the world stage.
“Heading into the qualifiers in February, you know, that is our number one focus – continuing to fine-tune the team so that when we go to the qualifiers, we put ourselves in a position to book our ticket to South Africa,” the coach added.
The India vs West Indies ODI series kicks off on Sunday, September 27, with the first match taking place at the Greenfield International Stadium in Trivandrum.