The Test squad for India’s West Indies tour includes the debutants Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Mukesh Kumar, while Cheteshwar Pujara has been omitted, and Mohammed Shami is rested. Navdeep Saini returns to the squad, while Umesh Yadav is not included.
Given Pujara’s recent struggles in the World Test Championship final, India will require a new No. 3 batsman for the upcoming series. The position could be filled by either Jaiswal or Gaikwad. It will also be interesting to see where Shubman Gill is placed, particularly since Jaiswal has been prolific as an opener. This marks the start of India’s 2023-2025 WTC cycle.
Unfortunate Players To Miss IND vs WI Test
Despite being included in the Indian team for the Test series against Australia, Suryakumar Yadav failed to make an impact in the only Test he played in Mumbai. He has been omitted, as the selectors have been impressed with Ajinkya Rahane’s form.
Suryakumar was considered by many as a player who could be an X-factor in the middle order and turn the game in India’s favor. However, he has not been picked for the squad, which is surprising, given India’s need to reconstruct their batting order after their struggles in the last WTC cycle.
Abhimanyu Easwaran
Abhimanyu Easwaran has been a prolific run-scorer for Bengal and India A in domestic cricket. Despite his impressive performances, he has yet to make his Test debut, which is puzzling. Easwaran has an impressive record of 26 half-centuries and 22 centuries in first-class cricket.
Despite being an opener, his ability to construct lengthy innings and his solidity at the crease make him a potential candidate to fill the void left by Cheteshwar Pujara. However, the selectors are looking for a more dynamic batsman for this role, hence the inclusion of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Sarfaraz Khan, one of the leading run-scorers in the domestic circuit, is still waiting for his national debut, which is perplexing. In the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy season, Sarfaraz was the top run-scorer, scoring 982 runs in six matches at an impressive average of 122.75. He continued his excellent form into the 2022-23 season, where he scored 556 runs at an impressive average of 92.66.
Sarfaraz secured the third position in terms of the highest run-scorers in his team, with Ajinkya Rahane leading the pack with 634 runs, followed by Prithvi Shaw with 595 runs. With Rahane being promoted to vice-captaincy, it will be interesting to see if Sarfaraz makes it into the squad this WTC cycle. However, he needs to score more runs in the Ranji Trophy to remain in contention.
