IND Vs WI: Ravindra Jadeja Named Shubman Gill's Deputy, Karun Nair Dropped From India Test Squad

The BCCI senior men's team chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, announced the 15-member India squad for the upcoming Test series against West Indies on Thursday, September 25. Team India will play two Tests against the visiting West Indies team at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad and the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi from October 2 to 6, and 10 to 14, respectively.

The India Test squad was announced ahead of the Men in Blue's Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash against Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday, September 24. The two-match Test series against West Indies will take place just four days after the Asia Cup 2025 Final in Dubai.

The upcoming Test series against West Indies will be India's first red-ball home series since the whitewash at the hands of New Zealand and the first home assignment for Shubman Gill as captain.

Ravindra Jadeja steps in as vice-captain

One of the biggest news from India's squad announcement is the appointment of Ravindra Jadeja as the vice-captain for the upcoming Test series against the West Indies. Jadeja was named as Shubman Gill's deputy after Rishabh Pant was unavailable for the West Indies Tests due to a fractured foot sustained during the Old Trafford Test against England in Manchester.

Jadeja is one of the senior-most players in the India Test squad, alongside KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammad Siraj. Despite Rahul and Bumrah being experienced campaigners, Jadeja was picked as the vice-captain for India's first home Test series in the ongoing World Test Championship Cycle 2025-27.

Presenting #TeamIndia's squad for the West Indies Test series #INDvWI | @IDFCFIRSTBank twitter/S4D5mDGJNN

- BCCI (@BCCI) September 25, 2025

For the first time in his Test career, Ravindra Jadeja has been entrusted with the leadership role as a vice-captain. Though he was not given captaincy and vice-captaincy duties in the Tests before, the veteran all-rounder has been very much part of the leadership group, supporting team strategy, and mentoring players during key moments.

Ravindra Jadeja had an impressive outing in the Test series against England, wherein he amassed 516 runs, including a century and 5 fifties, at an average of supporting team strategy and mentoring players during key moments in 10 innings.

End of road for Karun Nair in Tests?

Another big news, though it was expected, was the exclusion of Karun Nair from the India Test squad. The veteran Karnataka batter made his return to Test cricket after seven years in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series against England. However, Nair failed to make an impact as he could aggregate 205 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 25.62 in eight innings.

Karun Nair was picked based on his impressive performance in the last domestic season and experience of playing in English conditions during his County stint with Northamptonshire. However, the 34-year-old was left out of the squad after underwhelming returns in his comeback series, raising questions about his prospects in India's Test setup.

In place of Karun Nair, Devdutt Padikkal was picked in the 15-member squad. Padikkal is part of India A's two unofficial Tests against Australia A. Padikkal played a brilliant innings of 150 off 281 balls in the first innings of the first unofficial Test.

Jasprit Bumrah to lead pace attack

Jasprit Bumrah has been included in the 15-member squad for the Test series against West Indies and will lead the pace attack. There was an uncertainty over Bumrah's participation in the home Test series against West Indies due to his workload management and the four–day gap between the Asia Cup 2025 Final and the first Test in Ahmedabad.

Ahead of India's Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash against Bangladesh, Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed that Bumrah is unlikely to be rested for the remainder of the Asia Cup, emphasizing the importance of match practice for the pacer ahead of the Test series.

Jasprit Bumrah has made his Test comeback after he was rested for the fifth and final Test of the series against England at the Oval. In the England Test series, Bumrah played only three of five matches as part of his workload management and picked 14 wickets, including two fifers, at an average of 14.42 and an economy rate of 3.01 in five innings.

Apart from Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna were picked in India's pace bowling attack.

Sai Sudharsan retained, Nitish Kumar Reddy returns

Young Tamil Nadu batter Sai Sudharsan has retained his place in the India Test squad despite having a moderate debut series against England. With the selection committee looking at the future after the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Sudharsan is likely to be groomed as the No.3 batter in Tests.

In his debut Test series against England, Sudharsan aggregated 140 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 23.33 in three matches. The 23-year-old is expected to bat at No.3 in the upcoming Test series against West Indies.

Nitish Kumar Reddy, on the other hand, made his comeback to the Test squad after he was ruled out of the England Test series due to a knee injury sustained during a gym session ahead of the Old Trafford Test in Manchester. Reddy is part of the India A squad in the ongoing two unofficial Tests against Australia.

Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar have been included in the squad. Dhruv Jurel was picked as the first-choice wicketkeeper, while N Jagadeeshan was included as a back-up option.

India squad for West Indies Test Series: Shubman Gill (C), KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav and N Jagadeesan.

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