BCCI announced the Team India Test and ODI Squads for West Indies Tour

BCCI announced the Team India Test and ODI Squads for West Indies Tour. The Men’s Selection Committee has picked India’s squad for the upcoming two-match Test series and three ODIs against the West Indies. India are also scheduled to play five T20Is and the squad for the same will be announced later.

The Test series will be the start of the World Test Championship 2023-25 squad for both India and West Indies. The ODI series will also be crucial for India as they amp up the preparation for the Cricket World Cup later in the year. After the disappointment of the loss of the World Test Championship final against Australia at the Oval, India have made some big calls by bringing in some fresh faces for the Test setup. Veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara has been dropped from the squad, with uncapped batters Yashaswi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad being drafted in.

NEWS – India’s squads for West Indies Tests and ODI series announced.

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.… pic.twitter.com/w6IzLEhy63

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 23, 2023

The tenability of Pujara‘s place in the side was set to be a matter of debate among the selectors. India’s longstanding No. 3, now 35 years old, has scored only one century in 52 innings (28 Tests) since 2020 at an average of 29.69. While he has registered 11 half-centuries, his average further drops to 26.31 when his scores of 90 and 102* in the Chittagong Test in December 2022 are excluded.

Jaiswal and Gaikwad had excellent seasons in the IPL, opening the batting for Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings respectively. Pacers Mukesh Kumar and Navdeep Saini are also a part of the squad, with Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav missing out. Ajinkya Rahane has also been named the vice-captain of the squad with Rohit Sharma continuing to lead. Jasprit Bumrah still misses out as he is yet to recover from his back injury.

While Virat Kohli manages to hold onto his place despite ordinary returns in the last WTC cycle, Ajinkya Rahane returns to the squad as the vice-captain of the side, having made quite an impression in the WTC final against Australia at The Oval. It is to be noted that Rahane had been dropped for the home Test series against Sri Lanka last year and his selection for the WTC final was only mandated out of injuries to regular players.

Mohammed Shami has rightfully been rested from both Tests and the ODIs, having had back-to-back assignments of IPL and WTC final. Umesh Yadav has been dropped after his wayward ways in the WTC final, and that opened the doors for Navdeep Saini whose last Test was the epic Gabba victory over two years ago.

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… pic.twitter.com/PGRexBAGFZ

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 23, 2023

The ODI squad also features a lot of the regulars, with Gaikwad finding himself as a part of the white ball setup as well. There is also a recall for Sanju Samsom, with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant out with injuries. In the pace department, Mukesh Kumar is again included in the limited-overs squad, with Jaydev Unadkat and Mohammed Siraj being included as well. Umran Malik completes the pace bowling department. India have also included four spin-bowling options in the ODI squad, with Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel all making the cut.

Rohit Sharma will also lead the ODI side with Hardik Pandya named as his deputy. The Test series will begin on 12 in Dominica and end on July 24 in Trinidad. The three-match series will follow suit and will be played between July 27 to August 1. India are yet to name their squad for the T20I series.

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