IND vs WI: On September 25, the Indian selection committee led by chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced the 15-player squad for the upcoming test series against West Indies. The two test matches will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium and Arun Jaitley Stadium between October 2 and 14.
Shubman Gill is all set to lead India in his first home series as test captain. Rishabh Pant hasn't recovered from his toe injury, and veteran star Ravindra Jadeja has been named as the vice-captain. There have been some players coming back into the test squad for the upcoming series.
Meanwhile, some players have been dropped or ignored from the squad. Shreyas Iyer asked for a break, and the BCCI has requested his decision. But the overall selection has drawn some criticism from some set of fans. Here we will talk about some blunders that the selectors have made while selecting the IND vs WI squad.
IND vs WI: 3 Major Blunders Made by Ajit Agarkar-Led Selection Committee While Announcing 15-Member Squad
1. Mohammed Shami ignored
Veteran Indian pacer Mohammed Shami has been one of the key reasons for India's success at the highest level. He makes a deadly pair with Jasprit Bumrah. But he has been consistently ignored by the selectors. Shami played his last test for India against Australia at the Oval, which was the WTC 2023 final.
Since then, it's been over two years since he played a test. He is fully fit and is featured in games at the domestic level. But despite that, the selectors have not picked him for the coming IND vs WI series. They have gone with Prasidh Krishna as their third seamer with Siraj and Bumrah.
2. Jasprit Bumrah to continue
Jasprit Bumrah's inclusion in the series is a surprise to many. Even Agarkar said in the press conference that Bumrah will be available for both games. India will play the final of the Asia Cup 2025 on September 28, and after three days, the first test will start at Narendra Modi Stadium on October 2.
Hence, India will be traveling back home, and whatever little time he will get for preparation and adjustment from T20I to Test. That can be a challenge for the ace pacer. As the pitches in tests are expected to be spin-friendly and India already have four spin options, selectors could have given a rest to Bumrah.
He is an injury-prone cricketer, and with his long history, it can be bad for India. As the Men in Blue will then travel to Australia for three ODIs and five T20Is between October 18 and November 8. So, Bumrah might play in Australia as well. West Indies aren't playing well in this format, and with Indian spinners, the selection committee could have taken a decision to rest him, as India can't afford to lose Bumrah due to injury with the T20 World Cup 2025 coming in the next six months.
3. Sarfaraz Khan's snub
Another blunder India made is to go all-out with an inexperienced middle order. Pant is injured, and Nair has been dropped. There is not a player in the current squad who has played 100 tests. Only Jadeja and KL Rahul have played more than 50 tests in this batting lineup. That is when India can be tested.
The pitches will be spin-friendly, and West Indies have also picked some good spinners, and as we saw in the last home series against New Zealand, India failed with the bat. Sarfaraz Khan did well in that series and also hit his maiden test ton. But he has been ignored totally, which can backfire when it comes to playing on such pitches.