Team India announce Test squad for West Indies tour; Cheteshwar Pujara dropped while several new names make the cut 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have announced a 16-man squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against the West Indies, which begins on July 12. The series will kickstart Team India's 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) campaign.

There has been a significant shake-up to the squad following the team's defeat to Australia in the recently held WTC Final in England. Amid reports of workload management and poor form, Rohit Sharma marks his presence as the captain of the side.

However, senior batter Cheteshwar Pujara has been dropped from the side while recently-included Ajinkya Rahane has been named as the vice-captain.

The squad also features two new names in the national red-ball circuit in Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had stellar IPL campaigns not so long ago. Shubman Gill also retains his place in the squad as a first-choice opening batter alongside the skipper.

Much like the Border-Gavaskar series and the WTC Final, KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan are the two wicket-keeping candidates in the absence of Rishabh Pant.

The Jharkhand-born player had made himself unavailable for the upcoming Duleep Trophy but features in the Team India squad on the lookout for a red-ball debut. Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur feature as the all-rounder options to add balance to the eventual playing XI.

In the seam bowling department, Mohammed Shami has been rested following a hectic season. He played a pivotal role for their side during the home season, the IPL and the WTC Final.

The likes of Mukesh Kumar and Navdeep Saini find a place in the squad while left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat retains his place after last featuring during the tour of Bangladesh in late 2022.

Team India squad for two-match Test series against the West Indies

India's tour of the West Indies is scheduled to begin with the first Test in Dominica from July 12 onwards. The second Test is slated to take place from July 20 at the Queen's Park Oval. The two teams will compete against each other across three ODIs and five T20Is in the white-ball leg of the tour.

Indian Test squad: Rohit Sharma (Capt), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (VC), KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.

Have the selectors got it right in terms of personnel for the upcoming tour? Let us know what you think.