The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced the Indian Test and ODI squads for the upcoming tour of the West Indies. Rohit Sharma will be leading the Indian team in both formats. India is all set to play two Test matches, three ODIs and a five-match T20I series in the Caribbean.
Veteran players Cheteshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav have been dropped from the Test team. Pujara managed scores of only 14 and 27 in the recently concluded World Test Championship final. He averages 25.85 this year in five Test matches, scoring 181 runs including a fifty. Umesh Yadav has taken five wickets in three Test matches this year, at an average of 55.80. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami has been rested for the series.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Mukesh Kumar earned their maiden Test call-ups. Jaiswal or Gaikwad is likely to replace Cheteshwar Pujara at number three for Team India. Senior batter Ajinkya Rahane has been named Rohit Sharma’s deputy in the Test team. Team India will arrive in the Caribbean on July 1 for the tour, which begins with the first Test on July 12.
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.
Sanju Samson called up for WI ODIs
Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan will contest for the wicket-keeper role during the ODI series against West Indies. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Mukesh Kumar have also been included in the ODI squad. Ruturaj Gaikwad made his debut in 2022 October against South Africa and has played just one ODI.
Meanwhile, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah are yet to recover completely from their injuries. The three-match ODI series begins on Thursday, July 27 at Bridgetown, Barbados. The series will serve as a preparation for the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023, which will take place later this year in India.
ODI Squad:Â 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.
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