India will play two Tests against the West Indies in October.
The Indian cricket team will host the West Indies for two Tests at home, starting on October 2 in Ahmedabad. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a 15-member squad for the two Test matches. Shubman Gill will continue as the captain. For the vice-captaincy post, Rishabh Pant misses out due to injury, and Ravindra Jadeja is named as the deputy in the interim.
The England tour was Gill’s first assignment as the captain, as India levelled the series 2-2. The wicketkeeper-batter was struck by a yorker off Chris Woakes during the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He is currently recovering from a foot fracture at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. Dhruv Jurel will be the first-choice gloveman in the WI 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, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, and Narayan Jagadeesan.
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India’s strong bench strength once again led to some star players being left out of the squad. However, coming on the back of poor form, Karun Nair lost his spot to his Karnataka teammate Devdutt Padikkal.
“We had expected more from Karun Nair. It can’t just be about one innings. Devdutt Padikkal offers more. We would like to give 15-20 chances to everyone, but it’s not possible in these circumstances,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said after the squad announcement.
Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan also missed out due to injury. On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer communicated with the BCCI to exclude him from the longest format, citing back and fatigue issues. Axar Patel has returned to don the whites at home, while pacer Akash Deep misses out.
The West Indies are touring India for a Test series for the first time after 2018, when they lost the series 2-0. India won the first Test in Rajkot by an innings and 272 runs, and followed it up with a 10-wicket win in Hyderabad. To add to their dismal record, WI have not won a Test on Indian soil since 1994, when they beat the hosts by 243 runs in Mohali. After two draws and eight losses in the last four series after 1994, the Roston Chase-led side would look to update the record books.
Head coach Daren Sammy & Co. have rested the likes of Gudakesh Motie to keep him fit for the shortest format. Instead, left-arm spinner Khary Pierre has earned his maiden Test call-up. The visitors have also strengthened their batting with the likes of Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Alick Athanaze.
Roston Chase (C), Jomel Warrican, Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, and Jayden Seales.
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