India announce Test, ODI squads for WI tour; Pujara dropped
India have announced their ODI and Test squads for the upcoming full-fledged tour of West Indies, starting July 12. Cheteshwar Pujara has been dropped from the Test side while Yashasvi Jaiswal has earned a maiden call-up to the Test team. Ajinkya Rahane has not just retained his place but has also been named the vice-captain of the Test side. Here are further details.
Major changes in the Test side
The WI series will mark the start of India's campaign in the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship cycle. Some major changes have been made. Mohammed Shami has been rested from the series while Navdeep Saini has been called back. Ruturaj Gaikwad has also been included as prominent names Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant continue to miss out due to injuries.
India's Test squad
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.
Samson included in the ODI team
There are not many surprises in the ODI squad. Gaikwad has also been included in the ODI team as pacers Jaydev Unadkat, Umran Malik, and Mukesh Kumar also make the cut. Sanju Samson is also a part of the ODI squad. Meanwhile, five T20Is will also be played in the tour and India's squad for the same will be announced later.
India's ODI squad
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.
Pujara's poor run in Tests
Pujara, who was dropped from the Test side after the South Africa series in January last year, returned in July 2022 following a stellar show in County cricket. He has blown hot and cold since then. In eight Tests post-comeback, he has garnered 482 runs at 40.16 He scored 14 and 27 in India's loss in the recent ICC WTC final against Australia.
