The West Indies men’s team have announced their squad for the two-Test tour of India. Former captain Kraigg Brathwaite has been dropped after his poor run of form, while opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul and middle-order batter Alick Athanaze make their Test return.
The Tests will be played in October: in Ahmedabad from October 2-6 and in New Delhi from October 10-14. It’ll be the Windies’ first away assignment of the current World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle and the first home examination for Gautam Gambhir since the historic low 3-0 whitewash against New Zealand last year.
“Playing in the subcontinent always presents a challenge and we have selected a team to be competitive in these conditions” head coach Darren Sammy said in a statement. “This
will be our second series together as a test team, but we have already shown what we are capable of as a unit once we are committed to our brand and plans of the team,” Sammy added.
Chanderpaul last played a Test in January 2024 and has 560 runs (one century and one half-century) to his name from 19 innings so far. Athanaze, meanwhile, featured against Pakistan in January this year. He has 627 runs to his name in 25 innings at 25.08.
“The return of Tagenarine Chanderpaul is to help transform our fortunes at the top of the order given the recent struggles, with Alick Athanaze being added for his strengths and qualities against spin bowling. Khary is included for the first time as our second spinner in what we expect to be helpful conditions” Sammy said.
Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe emphasised the need to strike a balance with the squad selection.
“Our approach to squad selection continues to be calculated and deliberate. We consider the opposition, the playing conditions, and the skill sets required to be successful against specific opposition. The inclusion of players has therefore been guided not only by their recent performances, but also by identifying who within our pool is best suited to deliver positive results on these surfaces, against this quality of opposition,” Bascombe said.
West Indies’ full squad and travelling party for India series
West Indies squad: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope (wk), Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales.
Team Management: Head Coach: Daren Sammy, Assistant Coach (Batting): Floyd Reifer, Assistant Coach (Bowling): Ravi Rampaul, Assistant Coach (Fielding): Rayon Griffith.
