CMC – In a significant development, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been named the vice-captain of the Indian Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against West Indies.

This marks Jadeja’s first official appointment as vice-captain in the longest format, though he has previously held the role in ODI and T20I teams.

Shubman Gill will continue to lead the side for his second Test series as captain, having debuted in the role during the recent tour of England.

The squad sees a major leadership change from that England tour, as Rishabh Pant, who was the deputy then, has not recovered sufficiently from his foot fracture to be available for selection.

With Pant absent, the wicketkeeping duties fall to Dhruv Jurel and N Jagadeesan, with Jurel expected to be the first-choice gloveman.

The squad also welcomes back pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. His inclusion is notable given the tight scheduling; the first Test in Ahmedabad begins on October 2, just three days after the Asia Cup final in Dubai on September 28, where Bumrah is expected to feature prominently.

The selection panel has made several changes from the expanded squad that toured England. Alongside Pant, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh, and Shardul Thakur have been left out.

Their places have been taken by all-rounder Axar Patel, batter Devdutt Padikkal, and wicketkeeper Jagadeesan.

This series against West Indies, comprising Tests in Ahmedabad (October 2) and Delhi (October 10), is India’s second engagement in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

India currently sits third in the WTC standings with 46.67 percentage points. Australia leads the table with a perfect 100%, followed by Sri Lanka at 66.67%.

West Indies are yet to open their account, having been swept 3-0 by Australia in June-July.

India’s Test Squad for West Indies Series:
Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja (Vice-Captain), Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, N Jagadeesan (WK).