Who Will Be India Vice-Captain in Rishabh Pant’s Absence? India’s new Test captain Shubman Gill will be leading in a home Test match for the first time in his career when the Asian giants host the West Indies for a two-match Test series in October. However, he will not have his deputy Rishabh Pant by his side.
Gill led an inexperienced Indian side brilliantly in the five-Test series in England earlier this year. The team that was without the experienced trio of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin, and missed Jasprit Bumrah for two Tests, returned with a 2-2 draw, with Gill and Mohammed Siraj leading the way in their respective departments.
The IND vs WI Test series is part of the ICC WTC 2025-27 cycle.
India vs West Indies Test series: Date and venue?
India will host West Indies for two Test matches from October 2. The first Test will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, and the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi will host the second Test from October 10.
When will BCCI announce the squad for India vs West Indies Test series?
It is reported that the BCCI will convene its selection meeting on Wednesday, September 24, to pick the India squad for the West Indies Test series.
IND vs WI: Will Rishabh Pant play in the Test series against West Indies?
No, India wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant will miss the two-match Test series against the West Indies, as he is still not completely recovered from the toe fracture that he had sustained during the 4th Test against England in Manchester.
Pant is currently undergoing rehab at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence facility in Bengaluru. He is also unlikely to be rushed for the white-ball tour of Australia in October-November, as he is not part of the T20I setup and not the first-choice keeper-batsman in the ODI team.
This means that Pant’s potential return series could be the home Test series against South Africa, starting on November 14.
In Pant’s absence, Dhruv Jurel has played for India in Test matches in recent times. Jurel made his Test debut in February 2024 and has played five Tests so far, including the fifth Test against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy at The Oval.
With Rishabh Pant ruled out, Tamil Nadu’s N. Jagadeesan will be picked as the backup keeper to Jurel for the West Indies Test series. Jagadeesan was flown in as a backup for the Oval Test and recently struck a century and two fifties in his last three first-class innings.
While Jurel and Jagadeesan are set to be Pant’s replacements, the selectors will have the dilemma of naming the vice-captain in Pant’s absence.
Pant was the deputy of Gill for the tour of England. But when he was ruled out of the 5th Test, the BCCI didn’t name an official vice-captain.
IND vs WI: Who Will Be India Vice-Captain After Rishabh Pant Got Ruled Out Of West Indies Test Series?
With Pant ruled out, India have three strong options for the temporary vice-captain for the West Indies Test series. They are KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, and Jasprit Bumrah. Since this is a temporary situation for one series, the BCCI might go with Rahul, who has previously captained India in Test cricket, and so has Bumrah, but he might not play in both Tests against the West Indies.
If the selectors want to go with a younger vice-captain, then Yashasvi Jaiswal is an available option.
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