Jadeja named vice-captain for West Indies Tests; Padikkal, Jagadeesan in 15-man India squad

Ravindra Jadeja has been appointed vice-captain for India’s two-Test home series against West Indies, his first time as deputy in the format, as the selectors unveiled a balanced 15 with fresh batting depth and multi-dimensional spin. Shubman Gill continues as Test captain after leading in England, while Rishabh Pant remains unavailable as he recovers at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

The big calls

Jadeja’s elevation reflects how central his all-round value is in Indian conditions. With spin expected to play a major role in Ahmedabad and Delhi, India have named three spin-bowling all-rounders—Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel—plus Kuldeep Yadav as the specialist wristspinner. Devdutt Padikkal returns to bolster the left-hand options in the middle order, and Narayan Jagadeesan joins as the second specialist wicketkeeper alongside Dhruv Jurel.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar was clear on why Padikkal edged Karun Nair. “We expected more from Karun. Padikkal offers a little bit more at this point… He’s shown some decent form. Frankly, we expected a bit more from Karun.”

Pant out, Jurel first-choice gloves

With Pant still rehabbing a foot fracture sustained in England, the gloves are expected to start with Dhruv Jurel, who impressed with calm hands and match awareness on debut earlier this year. Jagadeesan provides cover as a pure gloveman who can also float across batting slots if team balance demands.

Pace spearheads and workload watch

Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna form the frontline pace trio, with Nitish Kumar Reddy adding fast-bowling all-round depth. Asked about Bumrah’s availability so soon after the Asia Cup final, Agarkar said: “This team has been picked for both the Tests, so he’s available for both. We’ve had a fair break after England… He’s ready and keen to play both Test matches.”

Who misses out—and why

From the expanded England tour pool, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh and Shardul Thakur miss the West Indies series. Easwaran, Akash Deep and Kamboj will feature in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup in Nagpur. Sarfaraz Khan, earmarked by many as a like-for-like middle-order option, is recovering from injury.

Series schedule and WTC stakes

• 1st Test: October 2–6, Ahmedabad (Narendra Modi Stadium)

• 2nd Test: October 10–14, Delhi (Arun Jaitley Stadium)

This is India’s second series in the 2025–27 World Test Championship cycle. After a 2–2 draw in England, India sit third on the WTC table by percentage points; every home point counts in a two-Test rubber with no room for slow starts.

India’s 15 for the West Indies Tests (role-wise table)

Selection themes to watch

• Left-right balance: Jaiswal and Padikkal give Gill flexibility to manage match-ups against visiting spinners.

• All-round spine: Jadeja–Axar–Sundar allows four-bowler attacks without losing batting depth.

• Wristspin weapon: Kuldeep’s form offers India wicket-taking bite in flat periods, especially after the 30-over mark.

Likely blueprint

Expect India to front-load with Jaiswal’s tempo and Gill’s control, use Rahul’s experience to bridge the new ball and spin, and lean on Jadeja’s dual role for control and acceleration. With the ball, Siraj’s seam from one end and Bumrah’s relentlessness from the other should set up the spinners to attack into footmarks as the games wear on.

“We do not want what happened against New Zealand repeated,” Agarkar said, referring to the last home blip. “This is a short series—clarity of roles and fast starts are non-negotiable.”