Pant Out Jurel to Keep vs West Indies
Rishabh Pant Out, Dhruv Jurel to Keep Wickets as India Gear Up for West Indies Tests
Rishabh Pant remains sidelined after fracturing his foot during the Test series against England in September. With Pant unavailable, Dhruv Jurel, one of India’s two specialist wicketkeepers, is set to take the gloves in the upcoming two-Test series against the West Indies.
Speaking to reporters in Dubai, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed that Ravindra Jadeja would step in as vice-captain in Pant’s absence. “He has lots of experience. I don’t know about Pant’s injury timeline, but he will hopefully be back for the South Africa series,” Agarkar said.
India, led by Shubman Gill, has strengthened their squad with a strong spin lineup. The side includes all-rounders Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel, along with left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
The squad sees a few changes from the England Tests, with batter Karun Nair and seamer Akash Deep dropped. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna will join Jasprit Bumrah in the pace attack, which also features all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Bumrah, who played just three of the five Tests in England to manage his workload, is currently part of India’s Asia Cup campaign. Agarkar indicated the pacer is likely to feature in both Tests against the West Indies. “We’ve had a fair break after England. He didn’t play the fifth Test either, so there’s been a five-week break. Even this tournament has been fairly spaced out till the last week. He’s ready and keen to play both matches,” he said.
The first Test will take place in Ahmedabad on October 2, followed by the second and final Test in Delhi starting October 10.
India’s Test Squad:
Shubman Gill (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, N Jagadeesan (wicketkeeper)
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