India and the West Indies will clash in a two-Test series starting October 2. The first Test will be played in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, and the second Test will be played from October 10 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

There have been speculations about the Indian squad selection as it will kick off a short home season for the Indian team.

There were reports of Jasprit Bumrah resting for the two-Test series against West Indies that begins days after the Asia Cup 2025 final, which will be held on September 28. Bumrah is currently engaged with the Indian team in the continental tournament.

But now the Indian Express has reported that Bumrah has informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that he is willing to play the two Tests.  

India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate also spoke on similar lines during the pre-match press conference on Tuesday in Dubai, ahead of the Bangladesh game.

“It is unlikely that Bumrah will be rested. He is set to play the West Indies Tests. We’ve got important matches coming up, and it’s good for him to keep playing and get more match time,” Ten Doeschate said.

The BCCI selection panel, led by Ajit Agarkar, is scheduled to convene a virtual conference on Wednesday afternoon to choose the 15-member Indian Test team for the two-match Test series against England.

The West Indies series will be the first Test at home since R Ashwin's retirement, and the BCCI hopes to bring in a new spinner.

The report also stated that Rajasthan spinner Manav Suthar is expected to be a surprise pick, which indicates Axar Patel might miss out on the two Tests. Suthar got five wickets against Australia A in the second unofficial test on Tuesday.

Ravindra Jadeja, who had a fantastic England Test series, is anticipated to be selected alongside Washington Sundar.

Another absence would be of Shreyas Iyer, who recently wrote to BCCI for a break from red-ball cricket due to his back issues. He withdrew from the second four-day game between India A and Australia A in Lucknow.

Devdutt Padikkal is the front-runner for the middle-order spot with Iyer missing out, and Karun Nair is set to lose his spot after a poor outing in the England series.

(Indian Express report)