The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced a 15-player squad for the upcoming two-match Test series at home against the West Indies. The series begins on October 2. Shubman Gill will captain the side, stepping into the role after Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket. Veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been appointed vice-captain.
The first test will be held at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad.
One of the notable inclusions is Devdutt Padikkal, who returns to the Test squad for the first time since November 2024. His last appearance came in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he managed scores of 0 and 25. The left-handed batter recently impressed with a century in the unofficial Test against Australia A in Lucknow earlier this month.
Wicketkeeping responsibilities will be handled by Dhruv Jurel, who had taken over from the injured Rishabh Pant during the final Test of the England series in August. N Jagadeesan has been added as the backup wicketkeeper. Pant, who had served as vice-captain during the England series, is currently sidelined after suffering a serious foot injury in the fourth Test.
Middle-order batter Karun Nair, who made a return to the Test setup during the England tour after an eight-year absence, has been omitted following a lackluster performance. Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna, despite sustaining a head injury while fielding during the second unofficial Test against Australia A, finds a place in the squad.
Shreyas Iyer has been left out of the squad after requesting a six-month break from red-ball cricket. He captained India A in the first unofficial Test against Australia A before handing over leadership duties to Jurel for the second game.
The second test will begin in New Delhi from October 10. This will mark India’s first red-ball assignment since drawing the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2 in England.
India currently sit third on the World Test Championship table, behind Australia and Sri Lanka, despite having played more matches than both.
India Squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja (vice-captain), Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, N Jagadeesan, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav
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