India has made some notable changes to its squad for the upcoming two-Test tour of the West Indies in July. Cheteshwar Pujara, a seasoned top-order batsman with over 100 Tests under his belt, has been dropped due to a recent poor run of form. Pujara managed just 211 runs in his last six matches, with only one half-century to his name.

This decision opens up an opportunity for promising talents Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who have earned their spots in the squad based on their impressive performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Jaiswal, who recorded the fastest IPL fifty in just 13 balls this season, scored a total of 625 runs, placing him among the top five run-getters. Gaikwad also showcased his prowess by accumulating 590 runs during the tournament and gained attention last November when he smashed seven sixes in an over during a first-class match for Maharashtra.

Ajinkya Rahane, India’s top scorer in the recent World Test Championship final against Australia, has retained his place in the squad and will serve as the vice-captain. The tour of the Caribbean will commence with the first Test scheduled from July 12 to 16 in Dominica, followed by the second Test in Trinidad from July 20 to 24.

In addition to the Test squad, India has also announced its ODI squad for a three-match series in Barbados and Trinidad. The squad for the five Twenty20 matches will be revealed at a later date.

Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.

ODI squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Shardul Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar.