Kamil Pooran's First West Indies Call-Up: What It Means for the India Tour

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-09-20

### A New Face Gets the Call West Indies have handed opening batter Kamil Pooran his first T20I call-up for the white-ball tour of India, which kicks off on September 27. If you've been following the Caribbean Premier League, this won't come as a huge shock. Shimron Hetmyer also makes the T20I side, but Jason Holder doesn't feature in either squad. That's a lot to unpack in one sentence, so let's take it piece by piece. ### Why Kamil Pooran Earned His Spot Pooran put together a quietly impressive CPL 2026 campaign. He scored 273 runs in eight innings for the St Lucia Kings at a strike rate of 159.64. Not gaudy numbers, but efficient ones. He also finished unbeaten on a fifty in one match to drag the Kings over the line for a win. Cricket West Indies (CWI) said the selection is part of a planned effort to find and build emerging players ahead of the 2028 T20 World Cup. That's the big-picture thinking here. They're not just filling a squad; they're investing in the future. ### Hetmyer Skips ODIs, Holder Rested Hetmyer, the second-highest run-scorer in CPL 2026, won't play the three-match ODI series. Instead, he'll link up with the team in India for the five T20Is. CWI said he remains committed to West Indies but needs an extended recovery period after the CPL grind. He last played the final two ODIs of the home series against New Zealand in July, where he scored an unbeaten 69 in the fifth ODI, a match West Indies won. As for Holder, he captained St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the CPL and has been rested. He appears in neither squad. He hasn't played an ODI since July 2023, though he was part of the T20I setup against Sri Lanka in June. ### Other Squad Notes Opener John Campbell returns to the ODI squad after recovering from a hamstring injury. Ackeem Auguste is out while he recovers from surgery in August. Middle-order batter Quentin Sampson is another T20I prospect in the group, and Jewel Andrew, who last played for West Indies in September 2025, is part of both squads. Shai Hope will captain both sides. ### Tour Dates and World Cup Qualification West Indies will play three ODIs and five T20Is across eight cities in India between September 27 and October 18. The squad leaves home on September 21 and reaches Thiruvananthapuram on September 23. The first two ODIs close the automatic qualification period for the 2027 ICC men's ODI World Cup. West Indies still have to play the qualification tournament early next year, because even wins in the series won't lift them above their nearest challengers in the standings. Head coach Daren Sammy said playing against the top team in the world lets West Indies fine-tune their ODI performances, and that the series gives the team a chance to assess players in new roles with the 2027 World Cup in mind. > "Playing against the best in the world is exactly the kind of test we need," Sammy said. "It's about seeing who can handle the pressure and step up when it matters." ### Full Squads **West Indies ODI squad:** Shai Hope (capt), 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. **West Indies T20I squad:** Shai Hope (capt), Jewel Andrew, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Kamil Pooran, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer. ### What This Means Going Forward For Kamil Pooran, this is a chance to show he belongs at the international level. For West Indies, it's another step in a rebuilding process that's been a long time coming. The India tour will be a tough test, but that's exactly the point.