The three-match ODI series is slated to begin on September 27 in Thiruvananthapuram.
Ahead of the series opener, West Indies head coach Daren Sammy emphasized that the series against India serves as a vital benchmark for his squad.
Beyond testing their progression against the top-ranked ODI side, the tour presents a historic opportunity to end a 24-year drought. The last time the West Indies won a bilateral ODI series in India was in 2002 under the captaincy of Carl Hooper.
"It's been 24 years, we've not won a series here in India," Sammy said, as quoted by Cricinfo. "So it's a great opportunity for us as a team to come out here and challenge ourselves and measure up ourselves as to where we are in ODIs. And I think it's 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."
Crucially, this series serves as primary preparation for the ODI World Cup Qualifiers scheduled for February 2027 in South Africa, after the team missed out on automatic qualification.
"If you have to win a major ICC event, especially in the white-ball format, you have to beat India," Sammy stated. "And we 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 No. 1 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."
Sammy expressed confidence in his team's growing depth, pointing out that players like Amir Jangoo and Sherfane Rutherford are stepping up to support captain Shai Hope in the batting department.
"Shai Hope is not the only one scoring hundreds. We've gotten hundreds from different players... Amir Jangoo, the way he's played, we've seen a glimpse of Sherfane [Rutherford]. I think in 2024-2025, we were looking for that type of form. Alzarri Joseph is back bowling well, just helped Antigua win a CPL title. So yes, we want to give everybody an opportunity in those three games."
Daren Sammy highlighted Vitel Lawes as a crucial find for the team's long-term planning. The 19-year-old left-arm wrist-spinner was fast-tracked into the senior side for the home ODI series against New Zealand in July 2026, and he immediately justified the selection by taking 8 wickets in 5 matches at an impressive economy rate of 5.30.
"Vitel, to me, he's a find for us. What we saw in him that caused him to debut against New Zealand was all part of the planning and the processes we put in place. You've heard me for years talking about a wristspinner in the West Indies team. And Vitel, he came in and he immediately had an impact on the bowling unit for us. Still got a long way to go but we will continue with his development through either playing games or the specific work we've put in place for him. He's worked really well with Nikita Miller and Ravi Rampaul here on tour. So yes, we'll continue creating those opportunities for him and hopefully he could continue to grow. A little bit fast-tracked but we're pleased with what he's done so far," the coach remarked.