The Indian Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against West Indies has been announced, with selectors retaining most of the core players from the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy lineup.
Shubman Gill will continue to lead the side after a commendable 2-2 draw against England earlier this year. Jasprit Bumrah returns to the squad and is expected to feature in both Tests.
Ravindra Jadeja has been named vice-captain for the series. Rishabh Pant misses out as he continues to recover from a toe fracture sustained during the England series. In his absence, Narayan Jagadeesan has been retained in the squad as a backup wicketkeeper, although Dhruv Jurel is expected to take on the primary keeping duties.
Karun Nair Dropped
One of the major omissions is Karun Nair, who made a much-celebrated return to the Test setup during the England series after eight years. Despite scoring around 230 runs with just one half-century across the series, he has been dropped. Many expected him to get another opportunity in the home series, but the selectors made a strong statement by opting for his Karnataka teammate Devdutt Padikkal, who has now earned a place in the squad.
Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar didn’t hold back when addressing Karun Nair’s exclusion.
“We expected more from Karun. One innings isn’t enough. Padikkal brings more to the table,” Agarkar stated at the press conference.
Notably, all-rounder Shardul Thakur has also been dropped from the squad despite his commendable performance with both bat and ball during the England series. However, with subcontinent conditions favouring spin, the selectors have opted for a more spin-heavy attack, bringing in Axar Patel as his replacement.
The series kicks off in Ahmedabad from October 2-6, with the second Test in Delhi from October 10-14.
Indian squad for the West Indies series
Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Axar Patel and N. Jagadeesan.
