The All India Men’s Selection Committee announced squads for India’s two-match Test series, and three-match ODI series, on Friday, 23 June. Despite some reports stating otherwise, the experienced pair of skipper Rohit Sharma, and former skipper Virat Kohli, have been picked for both series.
21-year-old batting prodigy Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had an excellent Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 campaign with Rajasthan Royals, has been selected for the Test squad, with the veteran Test specialist, Cheteshwar Pujara not making the cut.
“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,” BCCI secretary, Jay Shah wrote in a statement.
Besides Jaiswal, his Rajasthan Royals teammate, Navdeep Saini, and Bengal speedster Mukesh Kumar has also been selected, whilst wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has retained his place from the recently concluded ICC World Test Championship final squad.
In what comes as another major development, Ajinkya Rahane has been handed a second stint as the vice-captain of the Indian Test team, following an exemplary comeback performance against Australia. Returning to the red-ball squad after a year and a half, Rahane scored 135 runs across the two innings in the WTC final.
Sanju Samson Returns in ODI Setup
On expected lines, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has been selected for the ODI series. The 28-year-old's last ODI expedition was against New Zealand, back in November 2022.
Alongside Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad has also been rewarded for his excellent numbers in IPL 2023, while in the bowling department, Jammu-born Umran Malik has been provided with an opportunity to raise his case.
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.
India vs West Indies Tour Schedule:
Barring the two Tests and three ODIs, for which squads were released, India will also be playing five T20Is against the Caribbean boys. Here's the tour schedule:
India vs West Indies, Test Series:
12-16 July: First Test
20-24 July: Second Test
India vs West Indies, ODI Series:
27 July: First ODI
29 July: Second ODI
1 August: Third ODI
India vs West Indies, T20I Series:
3 August: First T20I
6 August: Second T20I
8 August: Third T20I
12 August: Fourth T20I
13 August: Fifth T20I
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