World No. 1 Test bowler Jasprit Bumrah missed the fifth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy as part of his workload management, but he is all set to return to India’s playing XI for the first Test of the upcoming
two-match series against the West Indies. The first red-ball match between India and the West Indies will be played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad from October 2 to 6. Bumrah, in all likelihood, will lead Team India’s bowling attack and have Mohammed Siraj for support. Siraj picked up a total of 23 wickets in five Tests against England, and the Hyderabad-based cricketer would like to produce a similar show in front of the home fans.
Since wickets in India favour spinners more than the pacers, there’s a high possibility of India playing with only two full-time pacers. Nitish Kumar Reddy has played 7 away Tests for India, and the 22-year-old cricketer could play his first home Test in Ahmedabad from Thursday. The inclusion of Nitish will reduce the pacer’s workload, as he can bowl medium pace.
Kuldeep Yadav, who finished with 17 wickets in seven matches of the 2025 Asia Cup for Team India, is part of the Test squad. He warmed the bench in all five matches of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, and there is not a very high chance of him getting a chance in the playing XI.
Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja are ahead of him in the pecking order, and the inclusion of Axar Patel in the squad has added more competition.
Axar represents Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy and has very good numbers in red-ball matches played at Narendra Modi Stadium. Considering his experience of playing matches at Narendra Modi Stadium, Indian team management could prefer him over Kuldeep.
In the batting, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal are set to open the innings. The duo scored more than 400 runs in the England series, and in front of home fans, they would like to maintain that form.
Tamil Nadu’s B Sai Sudharsan will bat at No. 3, and captain Shubman Gill is set to bat at No. 4. In his first Test series as India captain, Gill amassed a total of 754 runs, and Indian cricket team fans will expect a big show from him once again.
Rishabh Pant is not part of India’s squad, as he is yet to recover from a foot injury. In his absence, Dhruv Jurel will be India’s wicketkeeper-batter. Jurel is also in good form these days. He scored a century (140) for India A in the first unofficial Test against Australia A and 56 runs in the second innings of the second unofficial Test.
World No. 1 Test all-rounder Jadeja, who is also named as India’s vice-captain for two Tests against the West Indies, and Sundar are set to bat in the lower middle order, but their big role will be with the ball.
India’s likely playing XI for the 1st Test against the West Indies: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, B Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
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