India Test squad for West Indies series: Devdutt Padikkal back; Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Manav Suthar miss out

Irfan Pathan has hinted that wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav may not find a spot in the playing XI for the home Test series against the West Indies. The former India cricketer felt that the inclusion of Axar Patel in the 15-man squad might make it hard to pick the Delhi Capitals (DC) spinner in the side.

“Axar’s return strengthens the team. When Axar plays alongside Washington and Jadeja, the team gains batting depth. Does this mean Kuldeep Yadav may miss out again? I would definitely want to see him play, but with home conditions generally allowing only two fast bowlers, his spot is not guaranteed,” Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

“It seemed like a missed opportunity not to play a young fast bowler in these two Tests, but that’s the team’s current direction. If I were a selector or manager, I would surely have tried to give a young, fast bowler an opportunity, focusing on their development rather than just quick results. Bumrah remains committed to Test cricket, which is fantastic,” he said.

Sandip G, The Indian Express' man on the ground in Dubai for the Asia Cup, has this to say about the Indian team named for the West Indies series, which is a two-Test home series starting next month.

"After a reassuring series in England where a largely overhauled group helmed by new skipper Shubman Gill squared the series, there was little need to make wholesale changes to the squad for the two-Test home rubber against the West Indies. There were no late curveballs or googlies from the selection panel headed by Ajit Agarkar. A tweak here, a twist there, sufficed," writes Sandip.

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India squad for West Indies: Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Prasidh Krishna, Axar Patel & N. Jagadeesan.

(Scroll down for chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar talking about specific decisions, like the one to leave out Karun Nair)

Talking about naming Ravindra Jadeja as Indian team's vice captain, Agarkar said: "That was obvious once Rishabh Pant was ruled out. He has lots of experience, you know. I don't know about Pant’s injury timeline. But he will be hopefully back for South Africa series."

In-form Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batter N. Jagadeesan, who received his maiden India call-up during the team’s tour of England, has been preferred as cover in the continued absence of Rishabh Pant. Pant is still recovering from a fractured left foot sustained during India’s fourth Test against England in Manchester this past July.

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Talking about the decision to bring back Devdutt Padikkal in the side, Agarkar said: "Padikkal has in been great form and he was in the team."

The middle-order batter has been recalled to the squad after previously playing in the home series against England, replacing the dropped Karun Nair.

Head of selectors Ajit Agarkar had some strong words for Karun Nair, reports Sandip G, The Indian Express' man on the ground in Dubai for the Asia Cup. Nair found himself out of the Indian squad after an underwhelming tour of England.

Talking about the decision to leave out Karun Nair, Agarkar said: “We expected more from Karun Nair. Cant be just one innings. Padikkal offers more. We would like to give 15-20 chances to everyone, but it is not possible in these circumstances."

The news from the Ajit Agarkar-press conference in Dubai, where The Indian Express' Sandip G is present, is that Devdutt Padikkal is back in the India squad, as is Nitish Reddy.

But Karun Nair is dropped.

Manav Suthar's name also missing from the squad for the West Indies series. No Abhimanyu Easwaran as well.

Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja has been named vice-captain while Jasprit Bumrah has been picked

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a statement confirming a report by The Indian Express that Shreyas Iyer had written to the board seeking a break in the red-ball cricket due to stiffness and fatigue issues in his back.

“Mr Shreyas Iyer has informed the BCCI of his decision to take a six-month break from red-ball cricket. Having undergone back surgery in the UK and managed his recovery well, he has recently experienced recurring back spasms and stiffness while playing the longer format. He wishes to utilise this period to build endurance, body resilience and work on his fitness. In view of his decision, he was not considered for selection for the Irani Cup,” the statement from BCCI reads.

Shreyas Iyer has been appointed the captain for India A and will lead the three-match One-Day series against Australia, set to be played in Kanpur. Rajat Patidar, who was initially announced as the captain of India A for the first One-Day and vice-captain for the remaining two games, has now been replaced from the white-ball squad and was made the captain of ROI against Vidarbha in the Irani Cup.

Iyer had recently conveyed his decision to take a break from red-ball cricket to the BCCI.

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Jasprit Bumrah, India's pace spearhead, has made known his intention to play in the two-Test series against the West Indies.

AS The Indian Express' Venkata Krishna B notes: "With the conditions expected to be in favour of spinners, it remains to be seen what the selectors do with their premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah. With all their primary focus being on the T20 World Cup, the team management has made its intentions well-known that Bumrah would be given adequate care and his availability will depend on his workload. With India looking good to go all the way to the final of the Asia Cup, it is understood that the chance of Bumrah featuring at his home ground straightaway with just three-day gap between the title clash in Dubai and Ahmedabad is bleak. With Mohammed Siraj fit and available and the likes of Akash Deep, Harshit Rana and Prasidh Krishna around, the selectors have the luxury to rest Bumrah. Even with regards to the spin combination the trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav are automatic picks with Axar Patel also likely to get a recall."

There is chatter that the Indian selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, could consider looking past Karun Nair, who had a largely forgettable tour of England, scoring just one half century.

But The Indian Express' Venkata Krishna B reports: "In case the selectors decide to look beyond Karun, they are unlikely to move towards Sarfaraz Khan, another prolific run-scorer in domestic circuit, who narrowly missed out on the plane to England. Instead, the selection panel led by Ajit Agarkar is looking at Devdutt Padikkal, who was part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and missed the England tour with an injury. The left-hander, who now bats in the middle-order, is looked at with interest and in his most recent outing for India A against Australia A at Lucknow, scored 150.

The Indian Express understands that selectors will be naming a 15-member squad and there is also deliberation around Abhimanyu Easwaran. The Bengal opener has been in the fringes for a while and in successive away tours to Australia and England was their back-up opener and is still awaiting a Test cap."

The Indian Express' Devendra Pandey reports that left-arm spinner Manav Suthar is in contention to get a Test call up for the series against the West Indies, which will start from October 2. The left-arm spinner’s bowling has impressed selectors during the ongoing India A vs Australia A four-day game.

The Rajasthan spinner finished with a five-wicket haul on Tuesday and it is learnt that the selectors want him to groom the young spinner. The 23-year-old Suthar has played 23 first class games and has taken 95 wickets. The Test team already has Ravindra Jadeja in the line-up, however, looking at the future, the selectors are looking to groom the young spinner, who is rated very highly.

Alright, welcome back to our continued live coverage of the Indian squad announcement for the West Indies Test series. Stay tuned as we keep you updated with all the live updates.

Bad news for the people waiting for the announcement of the squad tonight. It's been learnt that it'll be taking place tomorrow (Thursday)

The Indian Express understands that selectors will be naming a 15-member squad and there is also deliberation around Abhimanyu Easwaran. The Bengal opener has been in the fringes for a while and in successive away tours to Australia and England was their back-up opener and is still awaiting a Test cap.

In case the selectors decide to look beyond Karun, they are unlikely to move towards Sarfaraz Khan, another prolific run-scorer in domestic circuit, who narrowly missed out on the plane to England. Instead, the selection panel led by Ajit Agarkar is looking at Devdutt Padikkal, who was part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and missed the England tour with an injury. The left-hander, who now bats in the middle-order, is looked at with interest and in his most recent outing for India A against Australia A at Lucknow, scored 150.

Former India pacer Varun Aaron has called for batter Abhimanyu Easwaran’s inclusion in the playing XI for the home Tests against West Indies, starting on October 2. He said that while he was unsure where the 30-year-old would fit in the playing XI, the management had to find a spot for him in the upcoming series.

Jadeja has travelled to Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru where he will be undergoing his fitness Test. Post the England tour, Jadeja had a break from competitive cricket and the West Indies series will be his first after a gap of two months. Jadeja had a great England tour with the bat where he scored hundred and struck three fifties.

Pacer Prasidh Krishna, who is expected to be named in the India squad vs West Indies, was forced to leave the field after a blow on his helmet led to concussion while batting for India A against Australia A on day 2 of the second unofficial Test on Wednesday. Prasidh was hit on his helmet during the 39th over of the innings by Australian pacer Henry Thornton, and he was subjected to concussion test immediately by the team medical staff as per the protocol. The Karnataka bowler continued to bat after the test but he left the field after three overs, cutting short a promising eighth wicket partnership with B Sai Sudharsan.

As West Indies gear up for a challenging tour of India, their head coach Darren Sammy wants to draw inspiration from New Zealand, which blanked the hosts 3-0 against all odds last year. The former T20 World Cup winning captain, who has been the coach of the West Indies outfit across all formats, has called on the team to prepare with the belief that they can beat India in India.

Since winning the third Test of the 1994 tour at Mohali, West Indies haven’t won a Test in India, losing seven of the nine Tests in these parts. One Test match that ended in a draw had scores level in the second innings at the Wankhede stadium in 2011.

The first Test will be played in Ahmedabad from October 2 to 6 and the second will be hosted in New Delhi from October 10 to 14.

Indian middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer has written to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that he will be taking ‘break from red ball cricket’ for sometime due to stiffness and fatigue issues in his back. Iyer, who was named captain of India A team for the ongoing series against Australia, pulled out of the second unofficial Test that got underway in Lucknow on Tuesday. It is learnt that after consultation with selectors and chairman of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar, Iyer decided to make his plea formal in a mail.

Former captain Kraigg Brathwaite has been dropped while Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Alick Athanaze have received recalls as the West Indies announced their 15-member squad for the the two-match Test series in India which starts on October 2. Brathwaite, a veteran of 100 Tests, had lost his place in the XI in the final match of the West Indies’ home series against Australia earlier this year. The right-handed batter had scored 4, 4, 0 and 7 in the first two Tests. Brathwaite had become only the 10th West Indies cricketer to have completed 100 Tests in the second Test at Grenada.

Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope (wk), Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales.

India have a packed schedule after the Asia Cup.

The India Test squad for the upcoming two-Test matches against West Indies at home is unlikely to see major changes from the one that drew the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England. With wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who sustained a fracture on his right foot during the fourth Test at Manchester, ruled out of the series, Dhruv Jurel will remain the first-choice wicketkeeper with Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan being the back-up option.

Devendra Pandey reports that Manav Suthar is in fray to get a Test call up for the series against the West Indies, that starts from October 2. The left-arm spinner's bowling has impressed selectors during the ongoing India A vs Australia A four-day game.

The Rajasthan spinner finished with a five-wicket haul on Tuesday and it is learnt that the selectors want him to groom the young spinner. The 23-year-old Suthar has played 23 first class games and has taken 95 wickets. The Test team already has Ravindra Jadeja in the line-up, however, looking at the future, the selectors are looking to groom the young spinner, who is rated very highly.

Devendra Pandey, The Indian Express' cricket correspondent, reports that India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has informed BCCI that he is available for the two-match Test series against West Indies. The series, which starts on October 2, will be played in Ahmedabad and Delhi. The senior selection committee are going to meet virtually today to pick a 15-member India squad.

Bumrah is currently featuring in the T20 Asia Cup in the UAE. Considering India makes the final, there will only be a three-day break before the first Test in Ahmedabad and it will be interesting to see if the national selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar picks Bumrah for the Test series. "It is unlikely that Bumrah will be rested. He is set to play the West Indies Tests. We've got important matches coming up, and it's good for him to keep playing and get more match time," India's assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate said in Dubai on their eve of their Super 4 match against Bangladesh.