The India National Cricket Team Vs West Indies Cricket Team Timeline is one of the oldest and most historic rivalries in international cricket. The two teams first met in Test cricket in 1948, and their rivalry has since expanded across Tests, ODIs and T20Is. Over the decades, India and West Indies have produced legendary matches involving players such as Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Curtly Ambrose, Virat Kohli and many others.
The rivalry was especially competitive during the early decades of Test cricket, when the West Indies were one of the world’s strongest teams. India gradually developed into a major cricketing power, with the 1983 World Cup final becoming one of the defining moments in the history of both teams.
In recent years, India have generally enjoyed greater success in bilateral cricket. The West Indies’ most recent Test-series victory over India came in 2002, according to the ICC.
The rivalry remains active in 2026, with India scheduled to host West Indies for three ODIs and five T20Is beginning September 27.
India vs West Indies Timeline at a Glance
| Year | Major Event | Result / Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | First Test series | India and West Indies begin Test rivalry |
| 1952-53 | West Indies tour India | West Indies win Test series 1-0 |
| 1962 | West Indies tour India | West Indies win 5-0 |
| 1971 | India tour West Indies | India win Test series 1-0 |
| 1975 | First World Cup meeting | West Indies win |
| 1979 | World Cup | West Indies win by 9 wickets |
| 1983 | World Cup group stage | West Indies and India exchange victories |
| 1983 | World Cup final | India win by 43 runs |
| 1987 | World Cup | West Indies win by 7 wickets |
| 1992 | World Cup | West Indies win by 5 wickets |
| 1994 | Test series | India win first Test in West Indies since 1971 |
| 1997 | Test series | West Indies win series 1-0 |
| 2002 | Test series | West Indies win 2-1 |
| 2006 | Champions Trophy | Australia and West Indies/India encounters continue in limited overs |
| 2011 | World Cup | India win by 80 runs |
| 2015 | World Cup | India win by 4 wickets |
| 2016 | T20 World Cup semi-final | West Indies win by 7 wickets |
| 2019 | Test series | India win 2-0 |
| 2022 | ODI series | India win 3-0 |
| 2023 | Test series | India win 1-0 |
| 2023 | ODI series | India win 2-1 |
| 2023 | T20I series | India win 2-3 |
| 2025 | Test series in India | India win 2-0 |
| 2026 | T20 World Cup Super Eight | India win by 5 wickets |
| 2026 | ODI/T20I series | India vs West Indies scheduled from September |
1948: The Test Rivalry Begins
The India-West Indies Test rivalry began in 1948, when India toured the Caribbean.
West Indies were already an established Test side, having gained Test status in 1928, while India had become a Test nation in 1932.
The first series consisted of five Tests. West Indies won the series 1-0, with the remaining four matches drawn.
The series established an important pattern for the rivalry: West Indies possessed considerable pace, batting depth and experience, while India were still building their Test cricket identity.
1952-53: West Indies Tour India
West Indies visited India during the 1952-53 season.
The Caribbean side again demonstrated their strength, winning the five-match Test series 1-0. Four matches were drawn.
The series helped popularise West Indies cricket among Indian audiences and introduced Indian fans to some of the leading Caribbean cricketers of the era.
1962: West Indies Sweep India 5-0
One of the most one-sided series in the history of this rivalry came in 1962.
West Indies toured India for a five-Test series and won all five matches.
The Caribbean team featured legendary players such as Gary Sobers and Wes Hall. India struggled against the quality and depth of the West Indies side.
The 5-0 result remains one of the clearest examples of West Indies dominance over India.
1971: India’s Historic Test Series Victory
A major turning point arrived in 1971, when India toured the West Indies under captain Ajit Wadekar.
India won the five-match series 1-0, with four matches drawn.
The victory was historic because it was India’s first Test-series triumph in the Caribbean.
Sunil Gavaskar was central to the success. He scored 774 runs in his debut Test series, immediately establishing himself as one of India’s leading international batters.
The 1971 tour represented an important change in the balance of the rivalry.
1975: First World Cup Meeting
India and West Indies met for the first time in the Cricket World Cup during the inaugural tournament in 1975.
West Indies won the match by 9 wickets.
Gordon Greenidge scored an unbeaten century while West Indies successfully chased India’s total. ICC records identify this as the first World Cup meeting between the teams.
West Indies eventually went on to win the inaugural World Cup by defeating Australia in the final.
1979 World Cup: Greenidge Leads West Indies
The teams met again in the 1979 World Cup.
India scored 190, but West Indies chased the target comfortably, winning by nine wickets.
Gordon Greenidge was unbeaten on 106, scoring more than half of his team’s runs.
West Indies went on to win their second consecutive World Cup.
1983: The Defining World Cup Rivalry
The 1983 Cricket World Cup transformed the history of India-West Indies cricket.
The teams met three times during the tournament.
Group Stage: West Indies Win
West Indies defeated India in their first meeting.
Viv Richards produced a spectacular innings of 119, helping West Indies reach 282/9. His century remains one of the memorable individual performances in World Cup matches between the two sides.
Group Stage: India Respond
India then defeated West Indies in their second group-stage meeting.
The result demonstrated that India’s victory in the tournament was not simply a single-match surprise. Kapil Dev’s team were capable of competing with the reigning two-time world champions.
India progressed through the tournament and reached the final.
1983 World Cup Final
The third meeting between India and West Indies came at Lord’s on June 25, 1983.
West Indies were the overwhelming force in World Cup cricket at the time, having won the first two editions.
India were bowled out for only 183.
However, India’s bowlers produced one of the most famous performances in World Cup history.
Mohinder Amarnath took 3/12, while Madan Lal also played a major role. West Indies were dismissed for 140, giving India a 43-run victory.
Kapil Dev became the first Indian captain to lift the men’s Cricket World Cup.
The victory fundamentally changed Indian cricket and remains the most famous chapter in the India-West Indies timeline.
1987 World Cup
India and West Indies met again during the 1987 World Cup, which was co-hosted by India and Pakistan.
West Indies won the match by seven wickets.
The Caribbean side remained a major force in limited-overs cricket, although their dominance was beginning to decline compared with the previous decade.
1992 World Cup
The two sides met during the 1992 Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
West Indies won by five wickets.
The match was part of a tournament in which the West Indies remained competitive despite the emergence of several new cricketing powers.
1994: India Return to Winning Ways in the Caribbean
India’s Test fortunes in the Caribbean improved during the 1990s.
In 1994, India recorded a Test victory in the West Indies, ending a long wait for a Test win there.
The result was particularly significant because India had not won a Test series in the Caribbean since 1971.
1997: West Indies Win a Close Test Series
The 1997 Test series in the Caribbean was another important chapter.
India came close to victory in the third Test at Bridgetown, needing only 120 runs to win. However, West Indies’ fast bowlers Ian Bishop, Curtly Ambrose and Franklyn Rose bowled India out for 81.
West Indies won the series 1-0.
The match remains one of the ICC’s highlighted memorable Tests between the two sides.
2002: Last West Indies Test-Series Victory
West Indies’ most recent Test-series victory over India came in 2002.
The five-match series ended 2-1 in West Indies’ favour.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul played an important role in the decisive fifth Test at Kingston, scoring half-centuries in both innings. West Indies eventually set India a target of 408 and secured the series.
This remains the last time West Indies won a Test series against India.
Since then, India have had a sustained advantage in Test cricket between the teams.
2011 World Cup: Yuvraj Singh’s Century
India and West Indies met again during the 2011 Cricket World Cup in Chennai.
India scored 268, with Yuvraj Singh making 113.
Yuvraj was one of the tournament’s leading performers, eventually being named Player of the Tournament after scoring 362 runs and taking 15 wickets.
India bowled West Indies out and won by 80 runs.
India eventually won the World Cup by defeating Sri Lanka in the final.
2015 World Cup
The teams met during the 2015 Cricket World Cup in Perth.
India batted first and posted 268/7.
West Indies struggled during the chase, but their lower order kept the match competitive.
India eventually won by four wickets.
MS Dhoni played an important finishing role, scoring an unbeaten 45 from 56 balls and hitting the winning runs.
2016 T20 World Cup Semi-Final
One of the most dramatic modern meetings came in the 2016 ICC World T20 semi-final in Mumbai.
India batted first and scored 192/2.
West Indies produced an outstanding chase.
Lendl Simmons scored 82 not out, while Johnson Charles and Andre Russell provided powerful support.
West Indies reached the target with two balls remaining and won by seven wickets.
West Indies subsequently defeated England in the final and won the 2016 T20 World Cup.
2019: India Dominate the Test Series
India toured the West Indies in 2019 for a two-Test series.
India won both matches and completed a 2-0 series sweep.
The series was particularly significant because it formed part of the inaugural ICC World Test Championship.
India’s bowling attack, featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami, played a major role.
The 2019 series also continued India’s strong Test record against West Indies in the modern era.
2022: India Win ODI Series 3-0
India returned to the Caribbean in 2022 for a three-match ODI series.
India won all three matches, completing a 3-0 series sweep.
The result continued India’s strong ODI record against West Indies.
2023: India vs West Indies Test Series
India toured the West Indies again in 2023 for two Tests.
The first Test in Dominica was dominated by India.
Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a century on Test debut, while Ravichandran Ashwin took a match-winning ten-wicket haul.
India won by an innings and 141 runs.
The second Test in Trinidad ended in a draw after rain interrupted the final day.
India therefore won the two-match series 1-0.
The ICC noted that the 2023 Test series was India’s latest series victory in the Caribbean at that point and part of the long-running rivalry that had reached its 100th Test meeting.
2023: ODI and T20I Series
The 2023 tour also included limited-overs cricket.
India won the ODI series 2-1.
The T20I series was much more competitive, with West Indies winning the first two matches before India recovered to win the next two. West Indies then won the fifth T20I to take the series 3-2.
The result showed that West Indies remained capable of competing strongly in the shortest format.
2025: West Indies Tour India
West Indies visited India in October 2025 for a two-Test series.
The first Test was played in Ahmedabad.
India dominated from the beginning, bowling West Indies out for 162 before building a huge advantage with the bat.
Ravindra Jadeja produced an outstanding all-round performance as India eventually won by an innings and 140 runs.
The second Test was scheduled in Kolkata.
India ultimately completed another series victory over West Indies, continuing their long unbeaten Test-series run against the Caribbean side.
The series was part of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle.
2026 T20 World Cup: India Beat West Indies
One of the most recent major meetings came during the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
India and West Indies met in the Super Eight stage in Kolkata on March 1, 2026, in a match with major qualification implications.
West Indies scored 195/4.
India then produced a successful chase, reaching 199/5 in 19.2 overs.
Sanju Samson played the decisive innings, scoring an unbeaten 97.
India won by five wickets and secured a place in the semi-finals.
Samson’s 97 was also recorded as the highest score by an Indian batter in a successful T20 World Cup run chase.
2026: India vs West Indies White-Ball Series
The rivalry continues in September and October 2026.
India are scheduled to host West Indies for a three-match ODI series followed by five T20Is.
ODI Schedule
| Match | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI | Thiruvananthapuram | September 27, 2026 |
| 2nd ODI | Guwahati | September 30, 2026 |
| 3rd ODI | New Chandigarh | October 3, 2026 |
T20I Schedule
| Match | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | Lucknow | October 6, 2026 |
| 2nd T20I | Ranchi | October 9, 2026 |
| 3rd T20I | Indore | October 11, 2026 |
| 4th T20I | Hyderabad | October 14, 2026 |
| 5th T20I | Bengaluru | October 17, 2026 |
The BCCI and ICC announced India’s squads for the series in September 2026, with Shubman Gill named ODI captain and Shreyas Iyer named T20I captain.
Because the first ODI is scheduled for September 27, 2026, these matches had not yet begun as of September 25, 2026. Therefore, no result should be assigned to the 2026 ODI or T20I series yet.
India vs West Indies World Cup History
The Cricket World Cup has played an especially important role in this rivalry.
The teams have met several times across different World Cup editions.
| World Cup | Result |
|---|---|
| 1975 | West Indies won |
| 1979 | West Indies won |
| 1983 Group Stage | Both teams recorded a win |
| 1983 Final | India won by 43 runs |
| 1987 | West Indies won by 7 wickets |
| 1992 | West Indies won by 5 wickets |
| 2011 | India won by 80 runs |
| 2015 | India won by 4 wickets |
| 2019 | India won |
ICC’s historical review records eight World Cup meetings through the 2015 tournament, with India leading those encounters 5-3 at that stage.
The 1983 final remains the most historically significant match between the teams.
Major Players in the India vs West Indies Rivalry
The rivalry has featured generations of legendary cricketers.
India
Some of India’s most important players against West Indies include:
- Sunil Gavaskar
- Kapil Dev
- Sachin Tendulkar
- Rahul Dravid
- Sourav Ganguly
- Anil Kumble
- Virat Kohli
- Rohit Sharma
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Sanju Samson
West Indies
West Indies have also produced some of cricket’s greatest players in this rivalry:
- Gary Sobers
- Gordon Greenidge
- Viv Richards
- Clive Lloyd
- Malcolm Marshall
- Michael Holding
- Curtly Ambrose
- Brian Lara
- Shivnarine Chanderpaul
- Chris Gayle
- Andre Russell
- Shai Hope
Players from very different generations have helped keep the rivalry relevant across Test, ODI and T20 cricket.
Memorable Individual Performances
Sunil Gavaskar – 1971
Gavaskar’s 774 runs during India’s 1971 tour of the West Indies remain one of the greatest performances by a debutant in Test cricket.
Viv Richards – 1983
Richards scored 119 against India during the 1983 World Cup group stage, producing one of the most memorable innings of the tournament.
Mohinder Amarnath – 1983 Final
Amarnath’s 3/12 helped India dismiss West Indies for 140 in the World Cup final. He also scored 26 with the bat and was named Player of the Match.
Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Lara and Chanderpaul became two of West Indies’ most important batters against India.
Virat Kohli – 2016
Kohli scored an unbeaten 200 in the first Test against West Indies in Antigua in 2016. It remains the highest Test score by an Indian captain away from home, according to the ICC.
Sanju Samson – 2026
Samson’s unbeaten 97 powered India to victory over West Indies in the 2026 T20 World Cup Super Eight match.
Test Cricket Rivalry
Test cricket remains the foundation of the India-West Indies rivalry.
The teams had played 99 Tests by July 2023, according to the ICC’s historical review, with West Indies holding 30 wins to India’s 23 and 46 matches drawn at that point.
However, the modern record has shifted substantially toward India.
West Indies’ last Test-series victory over India came in 2002, while India have won the subsequent Test series between the teams with increasing regularity.
ODI Rivalry
The ODI rivalry has produced several memorable World Cup matches and bilateral series.
West Indies dominated the early World Cup meetings, particularly during their championship era in the 1970s and early 1980s.
India’s 1983 final victory changed the balance of the rivalry, while India’s strong ODI performances in the 2010s and 2020s have established them as the more consistent side in bilateral contests.
India’s 2022 ODI sweep and 2023 series victory are examples of that modern pattern.
T20I Rivalry
T20 cricket has provided some of the most unpredictable meetings between India and West Indies.
The 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final remains one of the most important examples, with West Indies chasing 193 successfully.
The 2023 five-match T20I series also went West Indies’ way, 3-2.
India reversed the result in their 2026 T20 World Cup Super Eight meeting, winning by five wickets after chasing 196.
Why India vs West Indies Is an Important Cricket Rivalry
The rivalry represents several different eras of international cricket.
During the 1960s and 1970s, West Indies were among the world’s strongest teams and regularly dominated India.
India’s 1971 Test victory in the Caribbean demonstrated that the balance could change.
The 1983 World Cup final then became a landmark moment for Indian cricket, as Kapil Dev’s team defeated the two-time defending champions.
The rivalry subsequently evolved through the eras of Gavaskar, Richards, Lara, Tendulkar, Dravid, Gayle, Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Today, the contest covers three formats and provides opportunities for both established stars and emerging players.
Conclusion
The India National Cricket Team Vs West Indies Cricket Team Timeline covers more than seven decades of international cricket and includes some of the most important matches in World Cup and Test history.
The rivalry began in 1948, when West Indies held the advantage. Their dominance was particularly strong during the 1960s and 1970s, including the 5-0 Test-series victory in 1962.
India’s 1971 Test-series victory in the Caribbean marked an important change, while the 1983 World Cup final became the defining moment of the rivalry. India defeated West Indies by 43 runs at Lord’s and won their first World Cup.
West Indies continued to produce major victories, including their 2002 Test-series win and 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final victory.
In the modern era, India have generally had the stronger Test and ODI record. India won the 2019 Test series 2-0, the 2022 ODI series 3-0, the 2023 Test series 1-0 and the 2023 ODI series 2-1.
The latest major meeting came at the 2026 T20 World Cup, where India defeated West Indies by five wickets in Kolkata, with Sanju Samson scoring an unbeaten 97.
The rivalry continues with India’s home white-ball series against West Indies beginning on September 27, 2026.
FAQs
When did India and West Indies first play cricket?
India and West Indies first met in Test cricket in 1948 during India’s tour of the Caribbean.
Who won the first India vs West Indies Test series?
West Indies won the first Test series between the two teams 1-0, with four matches ending in draws.
When did India first beat West Indies in a Test series?
India first won a Test series against West Indies in 1971, when Ajit Wadekar’s team won the five-match series 1-0.
Who won the 1983 World Cup final between India and West Indies?
India defeated West Indies by 43 runs at Lord’s on June 25, 1983, to win their first Cricket World Cup.
Who scored 119 against India in the 1983 World Cup?
West Indies captain Viv Richards scored 119 against India during the 1983 World Cup group stage.
When did West Indies last win a Test series against India?
West Indies last won a Test series against India in 2002, when they won the five-match series 2-1.
Who won the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final between India and West Indies?
West Indies defeated India by seven wickets in the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final and went on to win the tournament.
Who won the 2023 India vs West Indies Test series?
India won the two-match Test series 1-0 in 2023. The first Test was won by India, while the second ended in a draw.
Who won the 2023 India vs West Indies ODI series?
India won the three-match ODI series 2-1.
Who won the 2026 T20 World Cup match between India and West Indies?
India defeated West Indies by five wickets in the 2026 T20 World Cup Super Eight stage in Kolkata. Sanju Samson scored an unbeaten 97.
When is India vs West Indies in 2026?
India’s 2026 home white-ball series against West Indies begins with the first ODI in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27, followed by two more ODIs and five T20Is through October 17.
Who is the most famous player in the India vs West Indies rivalry?
The rivalry has featured many famous players rather than one single defining player. India’s notable names include Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, while West Indies have featured legends such as Gary Sobers, Viv Richards, Brian Lara and Clive Lloyd.
