On Thursday, September 25, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced 15-member squad for the upcoming Test series against West Indies
. It is to be noted that the Caribbean side will tour India for two-match Test series, starting October 2. While the first Test is scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the second Test will commence from October 10 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.While the squad announcement saw Shubman Gill retain his place as the skipper of the side, veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was named his deputy after Rishabh Pant’s snub, who recovers from a fractured foot. Notably, Pant was set to miss the series as his injury is taking longer than expected with three to four more weeks
required to regain complete fitness.
I felt very bad for him: Vijay Madyalkar on Karun Nair’s snub from WI Tests
While the squad had some surprises, Jasprit Bumrah and Karun Nair were left out, raising several eyebrows. Amidst this, Karun Nair’s childhood coach finally opened up on this move. It is to be noted that Karun Nair made his return in the Indian whites for the first time after seven years during the England tour, which saw India draw with hosts by 2-2 margin.
While there were reports of Karun Nair cementing his place in the Test squad, but he was left out from the squad for the upcoming series. Seeing this, his childhood coach Vijay Madyalkar spoke with India Today where he said, “I felt very bad for him. He was deserving one more chance, that is what I feel. But, again, it is the selectors’ call. They think in a different way.”
Although chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained the reason behind Karun Nair’s snub, in his place, Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal was handed a recall whereas Sai Sudharsan retained his place. Furthermore, Vijay Madyalkar also stated that he should have been given a chance to play on home conditions, stating, “He got a chance in tough conditions in England. In those conditions, what best one can do, he did it. He scored all those runs in India in the lead-up to his comeback. I think they should have given him a chance in India. He is best-suited for Indian conditions, as of now.”
India’s Test squad for first Test vs West Indies:
Shubman Gill (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, N Jagadeesan (WK), Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav.
