India Announce Squad for West Indies Tests Pant Out and Jadeja Named Vice-Captain

By Abhishek Kumar

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the 15-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against West Indies beginning October 2. The squad features some big changes, with Rishabh Pant ruled out and Ravindra Jadeja named as vice-captain.
Pant who injured his foot during the England tour has not recovered in time. In his absence young Dhruv Jurel has been picked as the primary wicketkeeper while Narayan Jagadeesan comes in as backup. Skipper Shubman Gill will lead the side with Jadeja serving as his deputy.

Among the key selections Karun Nair has been dropped following poor returns in recent Tests while Devdutt Padikkal makes a comeback after consistent domestic performances. The batting lineup also includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and Sai Sudharsan offering a mix of youth and experience. The spin department is loaded with Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar all in the squad. Pace options include Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Bumrah despite workload concerns has been retained and is expected to lead the pace attack.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed that Shreyas Iyer was not considered due to fitness issues while the selectors wanted to give opportunities to in-form youngsters.

The first Test will be played in Ahmedabad from October 2 followed by the second in Delhi from October 10. The series will be a key test for India’s new leadership group as they look to build momentum ahead of next year’s World Test Championship cycle.