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After having a disappointing end to the World Test Championship cycle 2021-2023, Indian men are currently on short rest before they move ahead with a tour to West Indies. India’s tour of the West Indies will be their first series in the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle and the Indian side is going to go through some changes as Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik might get a call in the Test squad.
The Indian team will travel to the Caribbean islands for an all-format tour comprising two Tests, three ODIs, and a five-match T20I series. It is set to begin on July 12 with the Test matches first, and even though the official squad is yet to be announced, India’s emerging stars Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik are likely to be included in the squad.
According to reports by Cricbuzz, apart from Arshdeep Singh and Malik, Sanju Samson, who missed a few home series is likely to make a comeback in the ODI and T20I squads alongside Ishan Kishan. India’s star pacer Mohammed Shami is likely to get rested for the two Test matches in the West Indies. Apart from him, Mohammed Siraj has also shouldered a heavy workload, and as per the reports, Siraj may travel with the squad but will be used to ensure that he is in good shape for the forthcoming mega tournaments such as Asia Cup 2023 and World Cup 2023.
The reports further state that Rajasthan Royals’ star opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, who created several records with his batting skills this season might replace Cheteshwar Pujara at No. 3. The top India batters including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Ajinkya Rahane are certain to make their place in the Test squad, but Pujara’s position is under scanners. "Every Test is important, and its result contributes to the World Test Championship (WTC) points table. We cannot experiment in a Test match," a source was quoted by Cricbuzz.
Talking about KS Bharat, who even after having a less impressive performance with the bat at the WTC Final 2023 is likely to retain his position. In addition to these reports, the T20I squad for five matches will be without the seniors, and Hardik Pandya will lead it.
