Gill's elbow is India's one question as Kohli and Rohit return for the ODI opener

India's captain was struck on the right elbow in the nets two days before the first ODI against West Indies, and the early medical read is that it will not keep him out

Shubman Gill was hit on the right elbow by a Mohammed Siraj delivery that climbed off a length during India's session at the Greenfield International Stadium on Friday. He dropped his bat and walked away from the stumps in obvious pain.

Gill spent close to 20 minutes with team physiotherapist Kamlesh Jain and had the arm strapped, before returning later in the session to face throw-downs.

The BCCI has issued no formal update on him. India are due to speak to the media on Saturday, a day before the opening match of a three-ODI series.

A bruise rather than a break

The assessment reported across the Indian press, and attributed to journalist Rohit Juglan, is that Gill has sustained a soft bruise of the kind that settles within 24 to 48 hours.

That reporting rules out a fracture, a hairline fracture or ligament damage, and has Gill highly likely to take his place on Sunday unless the medical staff take a precautionary view.

His return to face throw-downs was the clearest signal India had on the evening itself. Were he to miss out, Yashasvi Jaiswal is the batter expected to come in.

Kohli and Rohit back in ODI colours

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma batted for about 20 minutes at adjacent strips, facing a mix of team-mates and local net bowlers, and both looked fluent.

It is their first ODI assignment since India's tour of England in July, and the format is now the only one either man plays.

Bowling coach Morne Morkel pointed to what that experience gives a young dressing room. "I think different players in the team will feel more comfortable speaking to a certain senior individual," he said, describing the value of "a lot of experience and conversations" in the squad.

Milestones within reach

Kohli begins the series on 14,941 ODI runs, 59 short of 15,000. Only Sachin Tendulkar has passed that mark in men's ODI cricket, and Kohli would reach it faster than anyone has.

Rohit stands on 11,895, leaving him 105 runs from 12,000 in the format.

Ravindra Jadeja, selected for the first time since January, is level with Courtney Walsh on 44 wickets in India-West Indies ODIs. One more anywhere in the series gives him the outright record.

An India side missing several names

Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishan Kishan are all at the Asian Games, and Hardik Pandya remains unavailable on fitness grounds.

KL Rahul is vice-captain and one of two wicketkeeping options alongside Dhruv Jurel.

Naman Dhir and Auqib Nabi have received maiden ODI call-ups and could debut across the three matches.

Siraj heads a pace group completed by Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar and Nabi, with Kuldeep Yadav the frontline spinner alongside Jadeja.

West Indies short of preparation

Shai Hope leads a West Indies side that landed in Thiruvananthapuram on 23 September and had still not held a training session two days later.

Shimron Hetmyer has been rested and Ackeem Auguste is recovering from surgery in August. Opener John Campbell returns after a hamstring problem, and Jewel Andrew is back in the squad having last appeared in June 2025.

The squad arrives against an unsettled domestic backdrop, Cricket West Indies having announced a 25 per cent cut to retainer fees this week. Chief executive Chris Dehring called it "a necessary step towards financial stability".

West Indies have won two of their six ODIs in 2026 and lost a five-match series 3-2 in New Zealand.

The ODIs open a tour that runs to 17 October and also takes in five T20Is, for which Shreyas Iyer returns from the Asian Games to captain.

The first of three ODIs begins at Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, with Guwahati on 30 September and Mullanpur on 3 October to follow.

Catch the match live updates, highlights, and full match coverage on CricRadio. Get fast, accurate, and ad-free updates throughout the game. Download the CricRadio app from the Play Store to stay connected. You can also get the live scores of cricket series directly on the CricRadio website for real-time coverage.