BCCI announces Test and ODI squads for West Indies tour, Rahane back as VC for Tests

The Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) on Friday announced the Test and ODI squads of Team India for the upcoming tour of West Indies.

The series consists of total 8 matches, with two Test matches, three ODIs and five T20 internationals.

The series will commence with the two-match Test series, with the first Test taking place from July 12 to 16 at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium in Dominica.

The second Test match will be played from July 20 to July 25, followed by a two-day gap.

Subsequently, India will compete against the West Indies in a three-match ODI series, starting from July 27.

Ajinkya Rahane has been named the vice-captain for the ODI matches, while Rohit Sharma will continue to lead the team as captain. Rahane made a stunning comeback in the World Test Championship final against Australia scoring 89 in the first inning and 46 in the second. This was the first test match for Rahane in more than a year.

Previously, Rahane has served as the vice-captain of India’s Test team under the captaincy of Virat Kohli.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad along with seamer Mukesh Kumar were also named for the first time in the 16-member team.

Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara and senior pacer Umesh Yadav were dropped from India’s Test squad.

Veteran seamer Mohammed Shami will be given rest throughout the West Indies tour, allowing Navdeep Saini to make a comeback to the Test side.

Sanju Samson has also been included in the team.

TEST Squad: Rohit Sharma (Capt), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (VC), KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.

The squad for the five T20Is, which are also part of the tour, will be announced at a later date.

The first ODI will be held on July 27 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, followed by the second match at the same venue on July 29. The third and final ODI of the series will be played on August 1 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad.

Following the ODI series, the two teams will engage in a five-match T20I series, commencing on August 3 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad.

India’s ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (Capt), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (VC), Shardul Thakur, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohd. Siraj, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.

(With inputs from Agencies)