India, June 3 -- West Indies and Sri Lanka will lock horns in the first of the three ODIs on Wednesday, with the Island nation set to begin their tour with the 50-overs rubber, followed by T20Is and Tests. Due to the 50-over World Cup next year, the series carries plenty of weightage as both West Indies and Sri Lanka aim to secure direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup set to be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Whoever wins between West Indies and Sri Lanka will get a boost in terms of World Cup qualification since the eight highest-ranked teams in the ICC rankings till March 31, 2027 will earn direct qualification for the World Cup. The remaining ones will need to compete in the qualifiers.

Sri Lanka, who are currently...