The national selection panel is unlikely to make too many changes in India’s Test squad for the upcoming two-match Test series in West Indies. In the wake of the humiliating defeat against Australia in the WTC final, there have been calls to make wholesome changes.
However, the selectors are unlikely to do so. One of the demands from several fans was to name a new captain to replace Rohit Sharma for the third cycle of the WTC. But according to Cricbuzz, Rohit is likely to continue as the captain of the team for the upcoming series although a couple of players are set to be rested or dropped.
“Every Test is important, and its result contributes to the World Test Championship (WTC) points table. We cannot experiment in a Test match,” the news outlet quoted a source as saying.
India Tour of West Indies 2023: India squad:
The report further added that four out of the top five batsmen – Rohit, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Ajinkya Rahane – are set to be a part of the squad. However, there is a big question mark on Cheteshwar Pujara’s spot in the team. Pujara has not really delivered as per expectations in recent times and his recent failure in the WTC final has put his place under the scanner.
Since 2020, he averages a modest 29.69 with the bat and has scored just 1 century in the last 28 Tests. That one century came against Bangladesh in December last year. While only time will whether he will be on the flight for the West Indies tour of not but for the time being, one can say that his spot is not safe.
In case Pujara fails to make it to the squad, highly-rated batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal could be the one to replace him at No. 3. In another development, fast-bowler Mohammed Shami could be rested after being in action regularly since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The team-management is likely to manage the workload of Shami as well as his bowling partner Mohammed Siraj.
Also Read: ICC WTC 2023-25: Full Schedule For All Teams For Third WTC Cycle