The senior selection committee has taken its first step towards commencing the transition phase of the Test squad following India’s debacle in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval earlier this month.
While Cheteshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav have been dropped for the upcoming two-match series in the West Indies, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been included in the 16-member Test squad announced on Friday. The selectors, who met in Mumbai on Thursday, also decided to rest Mohammed Shami with Mukesh Kumar and Navdeep Saini coming in as replacements.
The next WTC cycle begins with the series in the West Indies for the Rohit Sharma-led squad. The squad will assemble in Bridgetown, Barbados, and undergo a week-long camp at the Kensington Oval before the first Test begins in Dominica on July 12 (see box).
The selectors decided to reward Jaiswal and Gaikwad for their stupendous performances in the IPL but there was no place for Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran, two consistent performers in the Ranji Trophy.
The BCCI has been preparing for a smooth transition since most of India’s top and middle-order batters are pushing 35. The selectors were keen on giving the youngsters a chance against lower-ranked West Indies to test their temperament and skills.
India’s next Test series is in South Africa in December.
It is now certain that India will have a new No.3 with Jaiswal tipped to get the nod ahead of Gaikwad.
Jaiswal has been in fine form across formats in the domestic circuit and has been adept at handling express pace. The clarity in his thought process and a sound defence have made him a contender for the No. 3 spot.
Pujara, a veteran of 102 Tests, has struggled for consistency in the recent past and had scores of only 14 and 27 in the WTC final against Australia.
Ajinkya Rahane’s 89 and 46 at The Oval, however, helped him retain his place.
Jaiswal and Mukesh are the only uncapped players in the squad while Gaikwad has played nine T20Is and one ODI.
Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are still undergoing rehabilitation after various surgeries. Rishabh Pant, who met with an accident last December, is also going through the same process, and KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan have been picked as wicketkeepers.
Gaikwad has been playing in the middle-order in first-class cricket at home and is being considered as a back-up option. However, things could change in case one of the openers has fitness issues during the tour.
Head coach Rahul Dravid had been pressing for changes in the batting unit for some time now by inducting a few youngsters but the absence of ‘A’ tours did come as a stumbling block in determining their progress. That had been the main reason for Pujara’s return in England in 2022 and Rahane for the WTC final after being excluded from the squads.
Samson recalled
Sanju Samson has earned a berth in the ODI squad for the three-match series in the Caribbean starting July 27. With barely 100 days remaining for the World Cup, the selectors are looking for a keeper-batter and these ODIs could be an opportunity for both Samson and Ishan Kishan to seal their berth.
Hardik Pandya is the vice-captain while Gaikwad and Suryakumar Yadav, who had a horrible run in the home ODIs against Australia in March with three first-ball ducks, have retained their places.
Most of the regulars have been included and this will be a golden opportunity to hone in on the select few for the quadrennial showpiece event at home.
With Shami rested for the ODIs too, Siraj will spearhead the pace attack which includes Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur, Mukesh and Umran Malik, besides Hardik.
The squad includes four spinners with three left-armers — Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav — along with Yuzvendra Chahal.
