BCCI Announces Squads For Test & ODI Series For West Indies Tour, Pujara Dropped, Rahane Reinstated As Vice-Captain

The Board of Control for Cricket in India, announced the squad for the Test and ODI series against the West Indies starting 12 July. Among the surprising omission was Cheteshwar Pujara, who has been dropped from the Test squad while Mohammed Shami is rested for the upcoming tour.

Jaiswal-Gaikwad for the No. 3 role?

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Mukesh Kumar have earned their maiden selections in India's Test squad for the upcoming tour of the West Indies. Fast bowler Navdeep Saini makes a comeback to the squad, while Umesh Yadav has been omitted.

With Pujara's exclusion, India will have a new No. 3 batsman for the series, as the veteran scored only 14 and 27 in the World Test Championship final against Australia in June. If Shubman Gill remains in his current batting position, either Jaiswal or Gaikwad could potentially fill Pujara's spot in India's first series of the 2023–2025 WTC cycle.

Jaiswal, known for his prolific performances for Mumbai, holds a remarkable first-class average of 80.21 in 26 innings. In his most recent first-class game, the Irani Cup, he scored 213 and 144 for Rest of India against Madhya Pradesh, aggregating 357 runs, the highest by any batter in an Irani Cup match. Jaiswal possesses the ability to open the innings or bat at No. 3 if required.

Gaikwad, representing Maharashtra, boasts an impressive first-class average of 42.19 from 28 matches, including six centuries. His technique has caught the attention of the selectors and team management, who have been keen on including him in the Test team for some time.

Ajinkya reinstated as vice-captain

Ajinkya Rahane, who emerged as India's highest scorer at The Oval, retains his place in the squad and has been appointed vice-captain. Led by captain Rohit Sharma, the remainder of the squad consists mostly of players who were part of the WTC final.

Bowling department

In the spin-bowling department, Axar Patel provides backup to R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Jaydev Unadkat, who has been part of every Test squad since the tour of Bangladesh in December, has retained his place and remains the sole left-arm seamer in the fast bowling group, which also includes Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav.

New Entrants

Mukesh Sharma, has made his entry into both the Tests and ODI squads. The hardworking fast bowler representing Bengal, has made a name for himself in domestic cricket. The 30-year-old is known for his disciplined line-and-length bowling. He played a crucial role in Bengal's appearance in two Ranji Trophy finals in the last three seasons. Mukesh has consistently featured in India A tours over the past two years and has taken 149 wickets in 39 first-class games.

Sidelined with injuries

Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Shreyas Iyer are still recovering from various surgeries, and Rishabh Pant, who survived a car crash last December, is undergoing rehabilitation. As a result, KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan have been chosen as India's wicketkeepers for the Caribbean tour. Bharat has featured in all five Tests since Pant's injury but has managed just 129 runs at an average of 18.42.

India will commence their tour of the West Indies with the first Test in Dominica on July 12, followed by the second Test starting on July 20 at Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain. In their previous Test series in the Caribbean, India registered a 2-0 victory and will look to maintain that dominance.

TEST Squad: Rohit Sharma (Capt), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (VC), KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.

India’s ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (Capt), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (VC), Shardul Thakur, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.

Published on: Friday, June 23, 2023, 03:14 PM IST