Persistent knee trouble had ruled Andre Russell out of the World Cup midway through the tournament. © Getty

Andre Russell has ruled himself out of the first two T20Is against India after experiencing "some discomfort" while playing in the Global T20 League in Canada. Jason Mohammed has been named as his replacement in the squad.

Russell, who was initially named in the squad subject to a fitness test, informed the selection panel about his unavailability according to a release from Cricket West Indies.

"We welcome Jason Mohammed into the squad for the first two T20 matches here in Florida. He is a player with lots of experience in all three formats and - having done well for Trinidad & Tobago as well as Guyana Amazon Warriors," said Floyd Reifer, West Indies' interim head coach.

"It's difficult to the fill the shoes of someone like Andre Russell, who has dominated T20 cricket all over the world - and won the ICC T20 World Cup for the West Indies on two occasions, but we believed Jason is capable of good performances and we back him to perform at this level and help us win games a well," added Reifer.

Russell last played for West Indies in the World Cup before persistent knee issues ruled him out of the tournament. His replacement, the 32-year old Mohammed led a second-string Windies side in Pakistan last year, which was also his last T20I appearance.