Did BCCI Really Leave These Players Out Against West Indies?

ByAnupam Pandey,SportsCafe Editor

Today at 6:40 PM

BCCI recently announced India's squad for the Test series against the West Indies. The squad did have some big names, but several young talents and even rising stars were excluded, making fans question the squad selection.

Did BCCI Really Leave These Players Out Against West Indies.

After a tremendous England tour, the Indian team now gets ready for the upcoming Home series against the West Indies. The two-match Test series will start from 2 October 2025, with the first Test set to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

For the upcoming Test series, the BCCI has announced India's squad, which was almost the same as the team in the England tour. However, some names have been missing in the team, as Rishabh Pant misses out due to the injury he sustained in the England tour.

Besides that, Ravindra Jadeja as the new Vice Captain of the Indian team, with Shubman Gill at the helm. For their decisions, there have been a number of questions raised to the BCCI selectors by the fans, upon the squad announcement for India against the West Indies.

1. Shreyas Iyer Takes Rest

With the news that BCCI is about to announce the squad for the series against West Indies, fans expected a comeback from Shreyas Iyer. It has been months since he last participated in a Test match for the Indian team. But he was actively playing in the first-class format. He recently pulled himself off the unofficial Test match against Australia A.

Following this, Iyer also from the Test format, citing mental fatigue and back stiffness. However, his rest from the red ball cricket coming just when the Indian team was set to be announced for the series against the West Indies raises some questions.

2. Selectors Ignore Sarfaraz and Kishan Once Again

The BCCI selectors have once again excluded Sarfaraz Khan and Ishan Kishan from the Indian cricket team. Sarfaraz Khan tried his best to make a comeback to the squad, noting that he last played in the series against New Zealand. Even after a great transformation, he was overlooked by the selectors.

‌Pic Source: CricToday

On the other hand, Ishan Kishan has proven himself to the selectors, performing in both Indian domestic and English domestic cricket. Despite having some great knocks in the current edition of the County Championship, Kishan first got ignored in the England tour, and now in the home series against West Indies.

3. Karun Nair Faces Career-Ending Setback

The exclusion of Karun Nair, who made his comeback to the Indian team, was also questioned. Nair was selected for the England tour, but was only able to score a half-century in the last test of the game. Now, when the squad for Tests against West Indies was announced, his name was missing from the list.

Several fans , as Nair worked hard to prove himself worthy in the domestic season. To this, Ajit Agarkar said that he expected a lot more from Karun Nair, and can't give any more chances to him. He also said that Devdutt Padikkal will be offering more to the team than Nair.

4. Bumrah and Siraj Overworked Despite Intense Schedule

Another question raised by the fans was on the inclusion of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah in the team. Bumrah is currently playing in the Asia Cup 2025, which will end on 29 September. With the series against the West Indies starting on 2 October, it increases the workload on him. Along with that, Mohammed Siraj has been India's effective bowler in Tests this year.

Siraj finished as India's leading wicket-taker against England, playing all five matches. Noting the fact that the team plays against a weak team like the West Indies at home, the inclusion of Siraj and Bumrah remains questionable. The team could have gone with young talents such as Akashdeep, Arshdeep Singh, or Sudeep Tyagi.