India are reportedly likely to name KL Rahul as the ODI vice-captain for the upcoming three-match series against the West Indies. Shreyas Iyer, the regular deputy to Shubman Gill, will miss the rubber as he’ll be with the squad playing and captaining in the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.
According to PTI, the BCCI men’s chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar will be present in Delhi on September 16 — a day after the second India-Afghanistan T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, which he’ll attend — and will oversee a meeting to pick the squad for the series.
The report said the selection committee is likely to debate who’ll be the second wicketkeeper behind Rahul, with Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel as the primary options. The player who’s not picked in the squad
will likely lead the Rest of India team in the Irani Cup against Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar next month.
Pant hasn’t played ODIs since 2024 and has failed to make his mark in the format. Jurel has never played ODIs for India.
Ruturaj Gaikwad to replace Shreyas Iyer
The report also said that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad will likely replace Shreyas in the squad. The right-hander last played an ODI for India in December 2025 against South Africa, when Iyer was injured, and batted at his regular position of number four, impressing with a century too. Overall, he has played nine ODIs for India, scoring 228 runs at an average of 28.50.
The West Indies series, which begins on September 27 and will run till October 3, will collide with the Asian Games, which means more players who’ll be in Japan will miss out on the ODIs.
