New Delhi: BCCI on Friday announced India’s Test and ODI squads for the West Indies tour. The selection committee’s patience with veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav finally ran out as the duo were dropped from the Test side after a disappointing WTC final. Pujara’s dwindling returns ever since his return to the Test side a year ago were always a concern while Umesh Yadav’s lacklustre show against Australia in the WTC final put the writing on the wall. Young top-order batter Yashasvi Jaiswal and pacer Mukesh Kumar earned their maiden Test call-ups while Navdeep Saini returned to the scheme of things after a long gap.
India’s Test squad for West Indies series: 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 for West Indies series: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar 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.
The three-match ODI series will begin on July 27 in Barbados.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was first selected as a back-up opener for the WTC final only to be replaced by Jaiswal due to the right-hander’s wedding, also found a place in the 16-man squad for the two-match Test series starting July 12 at Windsor Park, Dominica.
