The India vs West Indies squad announcement for the two-match series took place on Thursday (September 25) in Dubai. Ahmedabad and Delhi are slated to host the two fixtures of the series, marking the beginning of India’s home season.

IND Squad for WI Test Series Announcement

The India squad selection for the West Indies series 2025 is out. Shubman Gill will lead the side, while Ravindra Jadeja has been named as his deputy. Vice-captain Rishabh Pant, who sustained an injury during the England Tour, continues to recover from the blow, and Dhruv Jurel will act as the first-choice keeper for India. Let’s take a detailed look at the changes and surprise inclusions in the India test squad for West Indies series.

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Changes for India Test Squad for West Indies Series

The opening combination of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal remains the same for the West Indies series as well. The pair scored over 900 runs in the series and comfortably negotiated England’s new-ball attack. With flat pitches on offer on home soil, they are expected to provide a good start to the side. Meanwhile, Sai Sudharsan has managed to keep his place despite scoring only a solitary fifty in the series. In place of Karun Nair, his state teammate and in-form Devdutt Padikkal has earned a comeback to the India test squad for West Indies.

🚨 Presenting #TeamIndia‘s squad for the West Indies Test series 🔽#INDvWI | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/S4D5mDGJNN

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 25, 2025

Skipper Shubman Gill will bat at No. 4 and will look to continue his stellar form. He was India’s best batter in England with 754 runs, including four centuries. Keeper Dhruv Jurel, who impressed in the India A vs Australia A series, has a perfect opportunity to prove his merit in the longest format. He replaced Rishabh Pant in the final Test match of the England series.

Get. Set. Go. Thalapathy! 🦁💥#INDvWI #WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/grATNvGCp6

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) September 25, 2025

Ravindra Jadeja emerged as the reliable run-scorer for India in England and was one of the reasons why the visitors managed to draw the series. Jadeja will also be helpful with his spin bowling in home conditions, and his ascension to the vice-captain headlined the India vs West Indies squad announcement. Along with Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar will be lethal spin all-rounders for India, as they hope to secure a whitewash and secure crucial World Test Championship points.

Nitish Reddy, who left the India squad midway in England due to injury, has returned to the squad. It will also be crucial to see if Kuldeep Yadav manages to find a place in the XI in the presence of all-rounders. The pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna have been picked up in India’s test squad for West Indies series. If Bumrah plays only a solitary game to manage his workload, Krishna will replace him in the XI.

Meanwhile, the star performer in the England series, pacer Akash Deep, also could not find a place in the side due to spin-friendly conditions at both venues. Arshdeep Singh was also excluded from the India squad selection after not getting to make his Test debut in England. The likes of Shardul Thakur and Abhimanyu Easwaran have also been dropped from the squad in favour of Reddy and N. Jagadeesan, respectively.

India Squad for West Indies: Shubman Gill (c), Ravindra Jadeja (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), N. Jagadeesan (wk), Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Shocking Omissions

Surprisingly, some anticipated selections were omitted from the India vs West Indies squad announcement, including:

Karun Nair

The veteran batter, Karun Nair, finally made a comeback to the Indian Test side on the back of a supreme Ranji Trophy season, where he scored 863 runs. However, Nair could not justify his selection in the England series. He managed to score only 205 runs in eight innings at an average of 25.62, with a top score of 57.

AJIT AGARKAR ON KARUN NAIR:

“We expected more from Karun Nair, cant be just one innings. Padikkal offers more. We would like to give 15-20 chances to everyone but it is not possible in these circumstances”. [Express Sports] pic.twitter.com/gT2rZCvbeP

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) September 25, 2025

Although Nair got off to good starts on a few occasions, he failed to convert them into a big knock. The inconsistency has now resulted in him getting dropped and being the talking point of the India vs West Indies squad announcement. After getting fit and being among the runs for India A, Devdutt Padikkal has replaced him. Certainly, Nair could have offered more for the Indian team in England; he kept the team calm in hostile situations and put the team in a comfortable spot. He deserved one more chance at home soil, where he has emerged as the star performer.

Abhimanyu Easwaran

Another surprise exclusion in the India squad selection for the West Indies series came in the form of Abhimanyu Easwaran. Often looked at as the backup opener for quite some time, Easwaran warmed the benches in the England series. Despite scoring close to 8,000 first-class runs, the right-hander has failed to make his international debut. As per Ajit Agarkar, they already have an opening pair of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, and don’t need another opener in the XI.

Abhimanyu Easwaran! pic.twitter.com/XykqLIJpiE

— RVCJ Media (@RVCJ_FB) September 25, 2025

Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was omitted from the India vs West Indies squad announcement, has been included instead in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy. The decision to drop Easwaran from the India test squad for West Indies series is an injustice to the right-hander, who has been piling up runs consistently in the last few years.