Kamil Pooran's West Indies Call-Up for T20I Tour of India
Kamil Pooran’s phone will have been busy this week. A breakout Caribbean Premier League season has pushed the Saint Lucia Kings opener straight into the international spotlight, with the 24-year-old earning his first West Indies call-up for the T20I leg of the upcoming tour of India.
He didn’t just sneak into the conversation. Pooran smashed 273 runs in eight CPL innings at a strike rate of 159.34, forcing the selectors’ hand and adding a fresh, aggressive option at the top of the order for the five-match series. His rise is the headline in a squad that blends new opportunity with familiar names returning to the fold.
Fresh faces, familiar firepower
Pooran is joined in the T20I squad by recalled batter Quentin Sampson and all-rounder Keemo Paul, whose white-ball pedigree has long been evident but whose international appearances have been sporadic. Their inclusion signals a clear intention: West Indies want depth, variety and players unafraid to take the game on in Indian conditions.
Jason Holder, the ever-present pillar of the T20I setup, steps aside this time. The former captain has been rested, a deliberate move to manage the workload of one of the region’s most trusted cricketers. Holder hasn’t featured in ODIs for over three years, last turning out in the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, and his omission underlines a gradual shift towards a new one-day core.
Shimron Hetmyer’s path is more nuanced. The left-hander has been granted an “extended recovery period” after his CPL commitments and will skip the ODI series from September 27 to October 3. Cricket West Indies made a point of stressing that Hetmyer “remains committed” to the 50-over setup. He will rejoin the group for the T20Is from October 6, a reminder that his power and flair are still central to West Indies’ short-format plans.
ODI reset with 2027 in mind
On the one-day front, continuity edges out revolution. The ODI squad bears a strong resemblance to the side that pushed New Zealand before losing 3-2 in July. The selectors have resisted the urge to tear things up, instead making targeted adjustments.
Ackeem Auguste and Brandon King are the two notable absentees. Auguste is ruled out as he continues his rehabilitation following surgery last month, a frustrating pause in a promising trajectory. In his place comes 19-year-old Jewel Andrew, who has been rewarded with selection in both the ODI and T20I squads. It is a bold nod to the next generation, and to Andrew’s temperament as much as his talent.
There is also a return for opener John Campbell, who missed the last two ODIs against New Zealand through injury. His comeback restores experience at the top and gives captain Shai Hope another option to anchor or accelerate, depending on the match situation.
The stakes around the series are complex. The second ODI on September 30 will bring down the curtain on the cycle for automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup in Africa. West Indies already know their fate: they cannot qualify directly, regardless of what happens in the first two games. The road to the global tournament will run through next year’s Qualifiers.
That reality could have flattened the narrative. Instead, head coach Daren Sammy has framed the tour as a crucial staging post in a longer journey.
“Playing against the top team in the world presents us with a chance to fine tune and improve our performances as an ODI team which has seen quality performances across the cycle. The series also creates a valuable platform to assess players who are stepping into important roles for this series with a long-term target of competing in the World Cup in 2027,” Sammy said, looking well beyond the immediate disappointment of missing automatic qualification.
The first ODI in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27 will set the tone. India at home is as tough as it gets in this format. For West Indies, that’s exactly the point.
The shape of the squad
Hope leads a group that mixes hardened campaigners with emerging talent: pace threats like Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales, spin craft from Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase, and all-round options in Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford. Matthew Forde and Justin Greaves add seam depth, while Amir Jangoo and Keacy Carty strengthen the batting core. Vitel Lawes offers another bowling option as the selectors look to cover every base on a demanding tour.
West Indies’ ODI squad for India tour: Shai Hope (captain), Jewel Andrew, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Vitel Lawes, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales
For now, the story is of doors opening. Pooran stepping into international cricket on the back of a blazing CPL. Andrew fast-tracked at 19. A team forced to chase its World Cup dream the hard way, with India as the first examination of who is ready for that climb and who will be left behind.
