BCCI has finally announced the Test and ODI squads for upcoming India vs West Indies series. Some exciting youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Mukesh Kumar have got maiden Test call-ups. Cheteshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav have been dropped from the test squad while Anjinkya Rahane is back as a vice-captain. Mohammed Shami has been rested from both the test and ODI squads. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Mukesh Kumar will also be a part of the For the ODI series. Sanju Samson was finally selected for the second wicketkeeper option along with Ishan Kishan.
Test Squad for India vs West Indies:
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, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.
End of the road for Pujara?
Pujara, the regular no.3 of India and a veteran who has played more than 100 Tests was dropped after carrying poor form for the last 2-3 years. He has scored only one century in the last 52 innings since 2020 at an average of 29.69. If he is thinking about a comeback he needs to do something special in domestic cricket, otherwise it could be the end of the road for Pujara.
Golden opportunity for young guns!
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been given a chance along with exciting bowler Mukesh Kumar. Gayakwad plays for Maharashtra in domestic cricket and has had a fantastic first-class season. He is carrying a first-class average of 42.19 from 28 games with six centuries. On the other hand, young sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal also has a great first-class season where scored 1169 runs across nine games, including five hundreds. Navdeep Saini also got a call-up in the absence of Evergreen Mohd. Shami. These youngsters should also get a chance in playing 11 to showcase their talent.
ODI Squad for India vs West Indies:
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.
Sanju Samson Finally getting a chance!
There is nothing much change in India’s ODI squad except the inclusion of wicketkeeper batsman Sanju Sanson. It will be interesting to see if he will get a chance the playing 11 in the presence of Ishan Kishan. It’s going to be an important series keeping in mind that the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 is not too far.