The current Indian head coach, Gautam Gambhir, was invited to the West Indies’ dressing room by their head coach, Darren Sammy, after their seven-wicket defeat at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi to lose another series by a 2-0 margin. However, the visitors displayed improvement with the bat in the second innings.

In the first innings, the Caribbean side got bundled out for 248 runs. Having been enforced with the follow-on, they celebrated twin centuries from Shai Hope and John Campbell to earn a slight lead of 120 runs. It didn’t bring victory, but showed that they would be capable of putting up a fight in the longest format.

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“It's always a privilege to play West Indies, whether it's at home, whether it's away. I think, for me, the most important thing I was telling Daren this as well, is the way you guys carry yourself on and off the field. I think it's a great learning experience, the way you guys carry yourself off the field. Your humility, your humbleness, is something which my team and a lot of teams across the globe have to learn from.” Gambhir expressed in the WI dressing room.

Watch: Gautam Gambhir sends strong and inspiring message to West Indies after 2-0 series defeat against India

Gambhir reckoned that even though it won’t be important to have World Cricket for West Indies cricket, it’s incredibly vital for the other way around. They are the two-time champions of the T20 World Cup 2012 and 2016, but have faced five successive Test defeats in 2025.

pic.twitter.com/y0sfoPQ5ld

— Tom Banton (@adi_exe07) October 14, 2025

“There are very few teams who has someone like a West Indies who has a purpose to play this game. And when you have a purpose, purpose is always more important than love. And when I look at you, I feel that you can inspire the next generation of the West Indies. I think the way you played in the second innings of this Test match is probably the template that can take West Indies cricket forward.” Gambhir addressed.

“And lastly, guys, I want to say one thing, and that is something which I've always believed in. You might feel that I'm saying it just for the heck of it, but this comes straight from the heart. West Indian cricket doesn't need world cricket. World cricket needs West Indian cricket.” The former Indian opener concluded.

West Indies’ Test performance has declined a lot in the last six months, and over the last few months, it’s getting worse. Their head coach, Darren Sammy, during the pre-match press conference ahead of he second Test against India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, felt that cancer had gone through their system.

Sammy, the two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain, admitted that even though they are open to being criticized, the root of the problem in West Indies’ Test cricket started long ago. He revealed that it was back in 1983 when India last won a Test series in India, and it won’t happen in 2025 either.  

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“I know now I’m under the microscope. I’m in the middle, and we’re open to criticism, to be criticized by everybody. But the root of the problem didn’t start two years ago. It’s something that started way back. It’s like a cancer that’s already in the system. If you don’t get cancer, you know what happens. And again, it’s breast cancer month. It’s rooted deep into our system.” Sammy expressed in the press conference.

Darren Sammy points out West Indies’ system issues for Test decline

The Roston Chase-led side, who were bowled out under 200 runs in both innings of the Ahmedabad Test last week, faced an innings and 140-run defeat. Sammy explained that they had also been struggling with finances for a long time.

“We could only work with what we have and who’s willing. The inability to match some of the franchises across the world has been an issue. But what I always tell these guys is that if we complain about not having the best facilities, not having enough manpower like the other teams, not having the best technology.” The former West Indies all-rounder addressed.

“The difference in the different teams, the top 3-4 teams in the world versus the bottom four. We’ve been struggling with finances for a long time. That’s one of the reasons why Brian (Lara) and Shiv (Chanderpaul) they’re going to have this event this afternoon.” Darren Sammy concluded.

West Indies’ batting slump continues even during the opening Test of the two-match series against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, as they were bundled out for another below 200-run score in both innings. They were good in patches, but the longer the game, the more skills get widely opened.

After the dismissal of Justin Greaves, Jomel Warrican, the number 10 batter, walked into the middle. Mohammed Siraj went for a back-of-a-length delivery around the off-stump, to which Jomel Warrican stabbed into the off-side. The very next delivery was the same as Warrican cleared his front foot to nail the short ball.

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But the bat slipped out of Warrican’s hands as it flew over Sai Sudharsan at the short leg region, while the ball ended up near the mid-off region. Shubman Gill ran to grab a simple catch as the visitors lost two wickets in a space of three balls to find themselves crawling at 98/8 in 37 overs of the innings.

Watch: Jomel Warrican’s bat slips as he gets dismissed hilariously during IND vs WI Ahmedabad Test

Some fireworks from the last three batters of the Caribbean side pushed the score to 146. This is now the fourth innings defeat for the Roston Chase-led side against India in India in the last five Tests. The one remaining was a 10-wicket defeat in 2018 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad.

Well the catch was a sitter, but watch out for your heads! 😅😂

Catch the LIVE action ➡ https://t.co/lvHQ6SSW3r#INDvWI 1st Test, Day 3 👉 LIVE NOW on Star Sports & JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/RGxKo8uOnP

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) October 4, 2025

In the last 15 Test innings for the Caribbean side, they crossed 200 just twice, with a highest total of 253 runs, and haven’t survived beyond the first new ball even once. This was a poor condition for the players, support staff, coaches, and others, especially after their 27 all-out in 14.3 overs against the West Indies at the Sabina Park.

India goes into the second game of the series on October 10 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi with lots of confidence as KL Rahul, wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel, and Ravindra Jadeja celebrated their respective centuries, with Shubman Gill, the captain, celebrating his half-century during their lone innings with the bat.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has revealed the schedule for the upcoming six-match white-ball series of three ODIs and three T20Is against West Indies at home in mid-October. This will be a perfect preparation for both sides in the shortest format ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.

The BCB, as reports claimed, reckoned that the three-match 50-over series will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka while the T20Is will take place at the Bir Shrestho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Cricket Stadium, which was previously known as the Zahur Ahmed Cricket Stadium, in Chattogram.

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The series will start the home season for the Asian country, with the opening game being played on October 18, while the following games will take place on October 20 and 23, respectively. After a three-day break, the focus will shift to the T20I series from October 27, with the next two games being scheduled on October 30 and November 01.

Bangladesh to host West Indies for white-ball series at home

The series will be incredibly vital for both the home side and the tourists, considering it will be the last assignment for both teams to prepare for the World Cup. In Bangladesh, the conditions will be nearly similar to India and Sri Lanka, favoring the spinners and the slower bowlers, with dew anticipated late in the evening.

It will also be a busy schedule for the West Indies all-format players. The final of the ongoing 2025 season of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will take place on September 21 at the Providence Stadium. A week later, they will travel to Sharjah for the historic T20I series against Nepal.

At the end of it, the Roston Chase-led side will turn their focus to India for the two-match Test series, before heading to Bangladesh for the white-ball series by the first week of November.

West Indies Tour of Bangladesh 2025

During the emergency meeting, called by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), after their side rolled over for 27 runs during the third pink-ball Test against Australia in Jamaica, in the presence of Brian Lara, Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards, Desmond Haynes, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and current head coach, Darren Sammy, the future roadmap to success was discussed.

Since the end of the Test series, West Indies lost their five-match T20I series at home against Australia by 0-5 margin before losing the T20I series against Pakistan. However, they won the ODI series against the Mohammed Rizwan-led side by a margin of 2-1. Lara questioned whether the players still have the same motivation to play for the national side, apart from all the franchise T20 leagues.

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“It's been that case for years, where we are not on the same level-playing field as other playing countries. Back in the days when skill was the prominent factor, we excelled; we were the best team in the world. But the game has evolved, and technology and analytics, and we now have to see a new way of finding ourselves back to being very competitive.” The former West Indies captain expressed.

Brian Lara questions West Indies players’ motivation between franchise leagues and national side

It’s not a new issue among the modern-day West Indies players, who, on many occasions, have prioritized the T20 leagues around the world over the chance to represent their national side. That’s where they missed several key figures and suffered as a team.

“What motivates youngsters today? It might not be just representing the West Indies 365 days of the year. It might be playing in an IPL, a BBL, or something else. We have to find out those interests and see where West Indies cricket can still benefit from the youngsters. It's a long road; it's not going to happen tomorrow.” Brian Lara addressed.

“West Indies cricket is still very important in the minds of all youngsters, male and female, and when looking at cricket as a career. I think you have to understand that in different eras and decades, there are different motivational factors. In the '50s and early part of the '60s, we were thinking about independence; we can govern ourselves.” The Trinidad-born shed light.

It was just after the last ball of the 17th over, when Roston Chase, a veteran West Indies batter and the captain of the Test side, walked off the field. He was struggling with 15 runs in 12 deliveries in the huge run chase, where the required run-rate for the home side was getting over 15, as on a slow and low surface, the right-handed batter lacked rhythm.

Chase has become the first batter to retire out during the men’s T20Is featuring two full-member teams. They failed to chase the target of 190 runs in the deciding contest of the three-match T20I series against Pakistan at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Florida.

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The Shai Hope-led side went off to a flying start with Alick Athanaze smashing 60 runs in 40 balls at a strike rate of 150, but slowed down in the middle overs once the spinners came into the attack. When Alick was dismissed, the scoreboard read 110/3 with 80 runs required in seven overs of the encounter.

Roston Chase becomes first full-member team batter to retire out in T20Is

There had been only one instance previously where a batter decided to retire out in a men’s T20I featuring a full-member team. It occurred during the 2024 T20 World Cup clash when Namibia’s opening batter, Nikolaas Davin, returned out after getting just 18 runs in 16 balls during their chase of 126 runs in ten overs against England in North Sound, Antigua.

All ten other dismissals have a record in games involving the associate nations. It was coincidental that Chase had been retired out once in the shortest format. During the International League T20 at the start of the team, his franchise, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, were facing the MI Emirates when Chase, even after scoring 20 in 13 balls, retired out. He walked out to bat in the 12th over and left the field in the 18th.

West Indies, who lost this T20I series by a 2-1 margin, will now shift their focus to the ODI leg against Pakistan, starting from August 08 at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad.

After the defeat in the opening T20I clash between West Indies and Pakistan at the Centra Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill, Florida, the pressure was immense on the Caribbean side to make a strong comeback to keep the series alive. It’s noteworthy that they lost their last eight games at home against Australia in the longest and shortest formats of the game.

The Shai Hope-led side made a strong comeback in the fixture with a two-wicket victory. However, it was a memorable clash for Jason Holder, the former captain, who scripted a new record in the T20Is for the Caribbean team. The Barbados-born went past Dwayne Bravo to become the new leading wicket-taker of the West Indies side in the shortest format with 81 scalps.

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Bravo finished with 78 wickets in 77 innings during his tenure at an average of 26.10 and a strike rate of 19.29 with an economy rate of just over eight. Holder now has bagged 81 T20I scalps in 71 innings at an average of nearly 30 and an economy rate of under nine.

Jason Holder becomes West Indies’ leading T20I wicket-taker during WI vs PAK 2nd T20I

Batting first, the visitors put 133/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Both openers had a poor and silent game with the bat as Fakhar Zaman struggled for his 20 runs in 19 balls at number three. Hasan Nawaz smashed 40 runs in 23 balls with the help of one boundary and four sixes at a strike rate of 173.91. Holder finished with figures of 4/19 in four overs.

West Indies kept losing wickets at regular intervals in the chase, as the skipper had the hardest time in the middle for his 21 runs in 30 balls. Gudakesh Motie got 28 runs in 20 balls, but the pressure was on to chase the low score.

Again, it was Holder, who creamed a boundary on the last delivery of the second innings to remain unbeaten on 16 runs in 10 balls and shoulder them over the line by two wickets. The third fixture of the series will take place in less than 24 hours.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has penalized the West Indies side with a 10% cut of their match fee for being two overs short after the time allowances were taken into consideration during the fourth T20I of the five-match series against Australia on July 26 at Warner Park in St. Kitts. 

By Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for the players and player support personnel, which is related to the minimum over-rate offences. The West Indies players have been fined five percent of their match fee for every single over that the side failed to bowl in the allotted time.

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Shai Hope, the captain of the side, has accepted the sanction that was proposed by the ICC match officials, avoiding the need for a formal hearing. The home side had already lost the three-match Test series by a margin of 0-3 with three huge defeats in Barbados, Grenada, and Jamaica.

West Indies fined over slow over rate during T20I series against Australia

The opening game of the five-match series in the shortest format was played at Sabina Park. West Indies smashed 189/8 in their allotted 20 overs thanks to half-centuries from captain Hope and Roston Chase. But the home side was way too powerful to chase the target by three wickets in hand and seven balls to spare, thanks to half-centuries from Mitchell Owen and Cameron Green.

The second fixture of the series ended in the same manner. Only Brandon King smashed fifty to get 172/8 in their 20 overs before the 131-run stand for the third wicket helped the visitors to take a 2-0 lead. The action moved to Warner Park, where Hope’s unbeaten century fired them over the 200-run mark. However, another poor bowling show and Tim David’s 102* sealed the deal for the Mitchell Marsh-led side.

The fourth game saw the hosts putting 205/9 on the board, shouldering on several starts. But in reply, Josh Inglis and Cameron Green smacked two fifties while Aaron Hardie drilled 23 runs to chase the 206 runs in 19.2 overs. The fifth and final fixture of the series will take place on July 29 at the same venue as Australia aim for an entire-trip whitewash.

West Indies, a few weeks ago, suffered a heavy 0-3 series defeat at home against Australia, including their unwanted record of getting rolled over for 27 in the second innings of the third Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica. The road won’t be easy for the side, which called for an urgent emergency meeting along with some of the notable members of the side.

Ahead of their two-match Test trip in October this year to India, the team will hold a week-long camp and is also likely to play a warm-up contest at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The request has come from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

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The opening game of the series, which will also kick off India’s 2025-26 home season, is scheduled to happen at the same venue before the action shifts to the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi from October 10-14. In the home season, the Blue Brigade will also host South Africa and New Zealand.

Know West Indies’ special request to BCCI for preparation of Ind vs WI 2025 Tests

The BCCI has agreed to the request from the WICB after checking with the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), as their secretary, Anil Patel, revealed in an interaction with the Times of India (TOI). ‘The West Indies Cricket Board requested the BCCI if the Caribbean team could hold a one-week camp and play a practice match in Ahmedabad to prepare for the series.’

It’s not clear against which side the international team will play the warm-up game, but it’s likely to be the local Gujarat team or could perhaps be an all-state side, picked by the BCCI, where they can also look at a few of their upcoming stars. The pressure is currently extreme on the captain, Roston Chase, and their coach, Darren Sammy.

Losing to Australia by that margin didn’t come in a good manner at home. The game is anyway losing attention in the Caribbean, and if they don’t develop their performance in this tour, hard decisions are expected to be made. Their next trip after India won’t be easy either in New Zealand, where they will be tested by seam and swing movement.

Steven Smith opened up about his back problem after a fine injury-returning knock of 71 runs in the second innings of the second Grenada Test against the West Indies. He didn’t participate in the first game of the series in Barbados after getting ruled out of the finger injury that he picked up at Lord’s during the WTC 2023-25 final against South Africa.

The former Australia captain reckoned that he was trying to bat on the middle stump and jam down the bat for the deliveries that kept low. He addressed that when the bounce wasn’t consistent, he could not trust the balls in the stump-line.

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“When I go across my stumps normally, that's when the bounce is pretty consistent and I can trust the balls aren't going to shoot (low). When the balls are shooting, I want to try and keep my bat as straight as possible and access that one as much as you can when it stays low.” The veteran expressed, as quoted by Cricket.com.au.

Steven Smith opens up on T20 fix to solve injured finger

It was an unfamiliar challenge for the experienced campaigner to bat wearing a splint on his right little finger after dislocation. He revealed that after the end of the game, the splint promoted another change, switching his T20 grip in Grenada. He was forced to use his top hand more than usual due to the heavy strapping.

“It was a little bit different (from normal) because I can't bend it really, it's stuck straight almost. But I felt good out there; I had to change a couple of things with my grip going from first innings to second innings with my finger, and it took me a little while to just get my placement.” Smith revealed. Reaching the half-century from 79 balls and finishing with a strike rate of nearly 60, the right-handed batter celebrated his sixth fastest innings of 50 or better since Jun 2020.

It will be incredibly important for him to continue the purple patch, with the top order lacking runs in a year of the home Ashes three months later. The third Jamaica Test of the series will be a new challenge for the star batter. It will also be Australia’s first day-night red-ball fixture abroad as the pink Dukes ball will have more challenge than the Kookaburra they use in the home Test matches. But he should be confident, having scored 199 in the first innings of the Test at that venue during the 2015 trip.