Karun Nair was left out, while vice-captain Rishabh Pant missed the cut due to injury, as chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced a Shubman Gill-led 15-member squad for the upcoming two-Test home series against West Indies on Thursday. In Pant’s absence, Ravindra Jadeja has been named as the vice-captain for the two-Test series.
Nair, who made a much-anticipated return to the Test fold in England after nearly seven years, featured in four matches but managed just a solitary half-century, scored in the final Test at The Oval. Although the middle-order batter often got starts and looked composed at the crease, he struggled to convert them into substantial scores that could have cemented his place in the side.
India’s squad for the West Indies series remains largely unchanged from the one that contested the drawn Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy in England. With Pant sidelined after fracturing his right foot during the fourth Test in Manchester, Dhruv Jurel has been named first-choice wicketkeeper, while Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan will serve as his deputy.
Jagadeesan, who struck a fluent 64 off 113 balls in the first unofficial Test against Australia A, also offers the flexibility of being a third specialist opener if required. That meant that there was no spot for Abhimanyu Easwaran in the squad. Apart from Jagadeesan, Devdutt Padikkal makes a return to the team in place of Karun Nair. Padikkal was part of the India squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 and played in the Perth Test.
The spin department will be manned by Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar and the returning Axar Patel, while Mohammed Siraj is set to spearhead the pace attack alongside Jasprit Bumrah. Axar is making a return to the team after playing a Test back during the home series against England in 2024.
The opening Test will be played in Ahmedabad, with the series concluding in Delhi from October 10. It will be India’s first red-ball outing since the 2-2 draw in England for the inaugural Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy. Gill, who took over from Rohit Sharma as India’s Test captain, will be having his first home assignment with the series against West Indies. With a testing tour of South Africa looming in November, the home series against West Indies provides an ideal tune-up for the young skipper and his largely settled side.
India squad for West Indies series:
Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, N. Jagadeesan (WK), Mohammed. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav.
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