India Squad Announcement Highlights: Agarkar's Press Conference Postponed To Thursday

India are set to unveil their squad for the upcoming two-Test series against the West Indies.

This will be their first home red-ball assignment since the 2-0 defeat to New Zealand, and with Shubman Gill taking charge as the new captain, the team will be eager to begin this fresh chapter on a positive note and climb up the World Test Championship standings.

India vs West Indies 1st Test: October 2-6 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

India vs West Indies 2nd Test: October 10-14 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

The current selection panel remains unchanged with Ajit Agarkar as Chairperson, alongside Shiv Sundar Das, Subroto Banerjee, Ajay Ratra, and Sridharan Sharath.

West Indies have already named their squad for the two-Test series. The team will be led by Roston Chase with Jomel Warrican as his deputy.

The full squad includes Roston Chase (capt), Jomel Warrican (vice-capt), Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, and Jayden Seales.

The West Indies have brought back Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Alick Athanaze to reinforce their batting, while left-arm spinner Khary Pierre has earned his maiden Test call-up.

Head coach Daren Sammy highlighted Pierre’s role as the second spinner, with Gudakesh Motie rested ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Shreyas Iyer has informed the BCCI that he will be taking a break from red-ball cricket owing to back stiffness and fatigue.

As a result, he has also withdrawn from his India A commitments.

Karun Nair, now fit again, is back in contention for India’s Test squad against the West Indies.

However, his inclusion could spark debate within the Ajit Agarkar-led panel and is unlikely according to reports.

His main competition for a batting slot is Dedvdutt Padikkal and Nitish Reddy, who is also returning from injury but missed the second unofficial Test.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi has created history in youth ODI cricket for India, smashing the record for most sixes with 41*, overtaking Unmukt Chand’s previous mark of 38.

He struck 70 off 68 balls with six maximums in his innings during the IND U19 vs AUS U19 second Youth ODI.

Catch all details from the match here.

Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar has caught the selectors’ attention with a standout five-wicket haul (5/107) in the ongoing 2nd Unofficial Test between India A and Australia A in Lucknow.

The 23-year-old Rajasthan bowler, with 95 wickets in 23 first-class matches, could be in line for his maiden Test call-up.

According to Ryan ten Doeschate, Jasprit Bumrah is set to continue through the Asia Cup Super 4s, with his current workload seen as perfect preparation for the upcoming home Test series against West Indies.

KL Rahul (11 off 24), Devdutt Padikkal (1 off 11), and Dhruv Jurel (1 off 3) all fell cheaply against Australia A in the second unofficial Test, handing India A a shaky start in Lucknow.

This raises concerns especially for Jurel who is most likely to replace injured Rishabh Pant for the upcoming Test series against the West Indies.

The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee will address a press conference from Dubai on Wednesday, September 24.

While the timing is yet to be finalised, the announcement itself has been confirmed.

Last year, New Zealand stunned India with a 3-0 clean sweep in a three-match Test series. Now, West Indies head coach Daren Sammy is drawing inspiration from that achievement as his side prepares to face India in their own backyard.

“From my end, the ten days leading up to the (1st) Test match, we’ll be drilling in all these things and planning very well as to how we’re going to beat India in India. We’re definitely going down there with the mindset to win. We’re not just going to go down there and think, “oh, it’s India”. No! New Zealand went there and did incredibly well and that we should take inspiration from. But again, it’s understanding the things that New Zealand did in those conditions and try to emulate it with our guys as well,” Sammy said.

If the England Test series is any indication, Dhruv Jurel is set to continue with the gloves, having stepped in for the injured Rishabh Pant.

N Jagadeesan, who was the understudy during that series, is also expected to retain his place.

The pair are likely to be the preferred wicketkeeping options for the upcoming West Indies Tests.

India’s batting order looks in place with Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B Sai Sudharsan, and skipper Shubman Gill, while Dhruv Jurel is expected to continue as wicketkeeper in the absence of Rishabh Pant.

The bowling attack, though, is less certain. Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar are in line to handle spin duties, with Mohammed Siraj leading the pace unit. If Jasprit Bumrah is rested, it could open the door for Prasidh Krishna or perhaps an all-round option like Axar Patel, depending on the balance the selectors prefer.

Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales.

After R Ashwin's retirement, the debate has once again began. During the recently concluded five-match Test series between India and England, Washington Sundar displayed magnificent performances from both bat and ball. While Axar Patel was last appeared in a Test match in February 2024.

It would be interesting to see who will replace R Ashwin in the squad. The other two spinners are likely to be Kuldeep Yadav and R Jadeja.

• 1948-49 – Winner: West Indies; 1-0 (5 Tests)

• 1958-59 – Winner: West Indies; 3-0 (5 Tests)

• 1966-67 – Winner: West Indies; 2-0 (5 Tests)

• 1974-75 – Winner: West Indies; 3-2 (5 Tests)

• 1978-79 – Winner: India; 1-0 (6 Tests)

• 1983-84 – Winner: West Indies; 3-0 (6 Tests)

• 1987-88 – Drawn; 1-1 (4 Tests)

• 1994-95 – Drawn; 1-1 (3 Tests)

• 2002-03 – Winner: India; 2-0 (3 Tests)

• 2011-12 – Winner: India; 2-0 (3 Tests)

• 2013-14 – Winner: India; 2-0 (2 Tests)

• 2018-19 – Winner: India; 2-0 (2 Tests)

Reports indicate Karun Nair’s selection for the West Indies Tests is far from certain.

Meanwhile, Sai Sudharsan has strengthened his case with a composed 75 off 140 balls for India A, the top score of the innings.

The Tamil Nadu batter is now a strong contender for the number three spot in India’s Test lineup.

Devdutt Padikkal is also a front runner for the number 3 spot.

Jasprit Bumrah’s workload has been under strict monitoring since the England tour. Ryan ten Doeschate believes playing Asia Cup matches could actually help his red-ball preparation.

“He’s probably going to bowl a few overs in all the games and bowl in the region of 25-26 overs with the training and preparation going into the game, which is a fairly good number the week before a Test,” he explained.

This points to India’s plan of managing Bumrah’s workload carefully while ensuring he stays match-ready.

Shubman Gill faces his first assignment as Test captain on home soil, with just five matches of leadership experience behind him.

The series will be a major examination of his ability to adapt and deliver in familiar conditions.

India’s last home Test series was a disaster under Gautam Gambhir, as they suffered a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand.

Gill will be eager to script a fresh chapter and begin his home captaincy reign on a positive note.

As per PTI, Agarkar had a long discussion with Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir regarding the squad selection. As per the report, the Indian squad will be selected not just with the West Indies Test series in mind, but will consider the Australia tour and the South Africa Test series, and the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

Prasidh Krishna suffered a blow to the head during India A's match against Australia A at Lucknow today. He was replaced by Yash Thakur as a concussion substitute. Will this ruin his chances of making it into the Indian squad?

Former Indian cricketer Varun Aaron has called for the inclusion of Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran in the squad.

"Abhimanyu Easwaran has been sitting on the sidelines for an eternity. He has just been drooling at the opportunity of getting a game and that has never happened," Aaron said, speaking to ESPNCricinfo. "I feel finally this is going to be the series where he gets a game. I don’t know in what capacity or which number, but I think India have to play him and give him a chance at some stage."

Sai Sudharsan is definitely going to bat at 3. So maybe he (Easwaran) is going to have to change position," he added.

Australia A currently lead by 242 runs, ending Day 2 at 16/3. Mohammed Siraj had a part to play, dismissing opener Campbell Kellaway, adding to his wicket in the first innings. If Jasprit Bumrah can't feature in both Test matches against West Indies - as is expected - Siraj will likely be India's main pacer, especially considering his heroics in the England series.

As per multiple media reports, the Indian squad announcement has been postponed to tomorrow, September 25. As per the reports, the BCCI's press conference with Ajit Agarkar will be held on Thursday at Dubai, where the 15-member Test squad will be announced.