India will be missing the services of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant for its crunch two-matches in home Test series against West Indies, beginning on October 2 at Ahmedabad. Pant, who sustained a fractured left foot during the England series, continues to recover and rehabilitate at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. His absence will be huge blow to India as he was the vice-captain during their last England tour.
The selection committee under chairman Ajit Agarkar will meet on September 24 to pick the remainder of the squad, meaning a final 15 should be announced. It will be a scaled-back squad from that named for the New Zealand Tests last year. And if Pant indeed isn’t available, then selectors will need to address keeping options as well as augmenting balance through batting choices.
In his place, Dhruv Jurel is likely to don the gloves for India. He appeared to be emerging from those shadows, with his glovework in the final two Tests of the England series particularly impressive. N Jagadeesan, who has opened the batting and kept wickets for India A in the warm-up series against Australia A may also fancy his chances as a backup opener to make it easier for team’s final customer to choose players.
Young Batters in the race
The selectors are also looking at Devdutt Padikkal and Nitish Kumar Reddy for the Test side. Padikkal’s outstanding 150 for India A against Australia A has enhanced his prospects, while Reddy is a significant contender, even if he had a minor knee injury recently. This series is part of the World Test Championship wherein India currently are positioned third in the table and West Indies are placed sixth.
India vs West Indies Test series schedule
| Dates | Match | Venue | Start Time (IST) |
| October 2-6 | 1st Test | Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad | 9:30 AM |
| October 10-14 | 2nd Test | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | 9:30 AM |
