Big name dropped as India name Test, ODI squads for West Indies tour

India have named their squads for the two-match Test series and the three-match ODI series against West Indies in July and August.

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.

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. 

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 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.  (ICC)

India’s Test squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.

India’s ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.