Windies name unchanged side for first two ODIs against India

West Indies have named an unchanged 13-man squad, which played a 1-1 draw against Afghanistan early this month, for the first two ODIs of the five-match series against India starting June 23.

The hosts will be without their premier fast bowler Shannon Gabriel since he is still rehabilitating from an injury that forced him out of the Afghanistan series.

It is an important series for the ninth-ranked West Indies, to be led by fast bowler Jason Holder, as only the top eight teams in the ICC rankings get direct entry into the 2019 World Cup.

If they do not perform well and get points, they will have to go through the qualifiers to make it to the showpiece event of the ICC.

India are world No.3 and they come into this series after a runner-up finish at the Champions Trophy.

The five-match series will begin on Friday at Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago. The one-dayers would be a followed by a lone Twenty20 on July 9, marking the end of the short trip for India.

West Indies squad: Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shai Hope (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammad, Ashley Nurse, Kieran Powell, Rovman Powell and Kesrick Williams.

-PTI