Revealed: Why Rishabh Pant hasn't been named in India squad for home tests against the West Indies

Rishabh Pant was vice-captain of the India team in the test tour of England earlier this year.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the Indian squad for the home test series against the West Indies on Thursday (25th September). The two-match series will begin on October 2 at the Narendra Modi International Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad. 

Shubman Gill will be leading the Indian test team in his second series after being appointed as the full-time leader. While, his deputy Rishabh Pant hasn’t been named in the squad for the West Indies series. 

This raised many eyebrows as Rishabh Pant has been a permanent member of the Indian side in the tests. However, the reason behind his snub was confirmed by Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar, who addressed the press conference in Dubai on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters, he said: “Rishabh Pant hasn’t quite recovered for this series, we’re hoping that he will recover for the next one.”

Rishabh Pant notably suffered a toe fracture during the fourth test of the five-match series against England. He was ruled out of the fifth game but was expected to be part of the side for the West Indies series. 

However, his recovery took more time than expected. The keeper-batter is currently at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru undergoing rehab and is now likely to make a comeback during the test series against South Africa at home later this year. 

Ravindra Jadeja named vice-captain of the Indian team in the absence of Rishabh Pant 

In the absence of Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja was appointed as the vice-captain of the team in the series against the West Indies. The all-rounder has been the key member of the test side for the last decade and will be important in the upcoming home season as well. 

Agarkar mentioned that due to the absence of Pant, they named Ravindra Jadeja as Gill’s deputy. He said: “That’s why we picked Jadeja as Vice captain.”

In Pant’s absence, the keeping duties will be taken over by Dhruv Jurel and N Jagadeesan, who is the second keeper in the team. After the first test, the second game will begin from 10th October in Delhi. 

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