Alick Athanaze, Tagenarine Chanderpaul return as West Indies announce squad for two-match test tour of India

Roston Chase will lead West Indies in the test series against India.

West Indies Cricket Team, on Monday, 16th September, announced their squad for the two-match test tour of India, scheduled to be played in October. The Cricket West Indies (CWI) has named a 15-member squad for the series, which will be led by Roston Chase.

West Indies have recalled Alick Athanaze and Tagenarine Chanderpaul for the series. Athanze last played a test match for the West Indies against Pakistan in January this year. Chanderpaul’s last test match was in January 2024 against Australia. Left-arm spinner Khary Pierre has earned his maiden call-up in tests.

Surprisingly, the Caribbean team has dropped former skipper Kraigg Brathwaite from their squad. Keacy Carty, Johann Layne and Mikyle Louis have also been dropped for the test series against India. All these players were part of their last test series against Australia. Senior spinner Gudakesh Moti has been rested for the tour.

West Indies squad for test series against India

Roston Chase (Captain), Jomel Warrican (Vice-Captain), 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.

Alick Athanaze added to squad for his strength against spin: Daren Sammy

In an official statement, West Indies coach Daren Sammy said that Alick Athanaze has been picked for his batting efficiency against spin. He also backed Tagenarine Chanderpaul to strengthen the team’s batting department.

“The return of Tagenarine Chanderpaul is to help transform our fortunes at the top of the order given the recent struggles, with Alick Athanaze being added for his strengths and qualities against spin bowling. Khary is included for the first time as our second spinner in what we expect to be helpful conditions,” he said.

Meanwhile, the West Indies and India will clash in two tests during the series, which will be the West Indies’ first test tour of India since 2018. The series will also be part of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27. The opening game will begin on October 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. The second test will be played from October 10 to 14 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.

This will be the second series for both teams in the ongoing ICC WTC 2025-27 cycle. India’s previous test series against England ended in a 2-2 draw. With a win percentage (PCT) of 46.67, India grab the third spot in WTC 2025-27 points table. West Indies occupy the sixth place with a win percentage of 0. They lost their last test series against Australia 3-0.

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