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New challenge for India:
India triumphed in the Asia Cup 2025 with an outstanding display. They achieved three consecutive victories over Pakistan in this year’s Asia Cup, including the championship match. However, with this remarkable win still fresh in their minds, Team India is gearing up for their next challenge. This time, instead of One-Day or T20 formats, they will be competing in red-ball cricket, specifically Test matches. A two-match Test series against the West Indies is set to commence just three days after winning the Asia Cup. Each Test series is crucial for qualifying for the World Test Championship final.
Schedule of the Test series:
The first Test of the India-West Indies series is scheduled to begin on October 2, 2025, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The match will start at 9:30 AM.
The second Test will take place on October 10, 2025, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The match will start at 9:30 AM.
India’s squad for the Test series:
The Indian team squad for the Test series was revealed during the Asia Cup. Before we dive into the likely starting XI for the first Test, which is purely my speculation, let’s first review the entire squad. Shubman Gill leads the team as captain, with Ravindra Jadeja serving as vice-captain. The other players in the squad are KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Narayan Jagadeesan, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, and Prasidh Krishna.
Many members of the recent Asia Cup-winning squad are present in this team, including Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav.
India’s probable playing XI for the First Test:
The first match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is expected to feature a batting-friendly surface. Spin bowlers are likely to have more impact from the third day onward. The playing XI could consist of three spinners: Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav. The pace attack could include two bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. The wicketkeeper could be Dhruv Jurel. The batting lineup could include KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Therefore, the probable playing XI for the first Test could be: KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav.
Gautam Gambhir is known for favoring the inclusion of multiple all-rounders in his team. Given that the team already includes a top-class all-rounder like Ravindra Jadeja and a promising all-rounder like Washington Sundar, could Gambhir opt for Axar Patel as the third spinning all-rounder instead of Kuldeep Yadav? Axar Patel has performed very well, particularly in the Asia Cup. Nevertheless, Kuldeep Yadav is also a highly skilled wrist-spinner who took the most wickets in the recently concluded Asia Cup and possesses the ability to turn the ball on any pitch. Hence, I believe Kuldeep Yadav deserves a spot in the playing XI.
I have uploaded a video on YouTube in Bengali related to the topic discussed in this blog, and you can find the link to that video here: