Nitish Reddy, Devdutt Padikkal Earn India Test Call-Ups for West Indies Series

Nitish Reddy and Devdutt Padikkal have been recalled to India's squad for the two-Test home series against West Indies. The 15-member squad will be led by Shubman Gill, with no place for either Karun Nair or Abhimanyu Easwaran, both of whom were part of the recent England tour. Rishabh Pant also remains unavailable as he continues to recover from the foot fracture sustained at Old Trafford.

India squad: Shubman Gill (c), Ravindra Jadeja (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), N. Jagadeesan (wk), Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

With Pant still sidelined, the vice-captaincy has been handed to Ravindra Jadeja, who enjoyed a prolific series in England, scoring 516 runs at an average of 86. Jasprit Bumrah has also been picked to start the home season despite workload concerns. India's pace spearhead featured in only three of the five Tests in England after another back injury earlier in the year, and the West Indies series begins just four days after the Asia Cup, where he is currently in action.

The return to home conditions has shaped the balance of the squad. Only three specialist pacers - Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna the others - have been named, with Nitish, back after a knee injury on the England tour, providing seam-bowling all-round depth. The spin department though is well stocked, with Jadeja joined by Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and the returning Axar Patel.

Dhruv Jurel, who filled in for Pant behind the stumps at Lord's and Old Trafford, and then played at The Oval will be the first-choice 'keeper in the squad with N. Jagadeesan serving as his understudy. Jagadeesan recently hit 197 and 52* in a Duleep Trophy game for South Zone and a 64 for India 'A', all while playing as an opener.

The major omissions are Easwaran and Nair. Easwaran, who travelled through the England series without making his debut, has been overlooked as selectors did not feel the need for a reserve opener at home. Nair, meanwhile, failed to make the most of his long-awaited comeback. The 33-year-old scored 205 runs at 25.62 across four Tests in England, with just one fifty at The Oval, and has now lost his place to Padikkal, as previously reported by Cricbuzz.

The 23-year-old Sai Sudharsan also endured a lukewarm series, managing just 140 runs from three Tests at 23.33 but chief selector Ajit Agarkar mentioned that panel had expected more from the experienced Nair in England. Adding to the intrigue, Nair has not even been named for the Rest of India squad in the Irani Cup against Ranji champions Vidarbha, a game that will feature other Test fringe players like Akash Deep, Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj.

Meanwhile, Padikkal forced his way back with a 150 for India 'A' against Australia 'A' after returning from a hamstring injury suffered in the IPL. He last played a Test in Perth late last year.

The first Test against West Indies starts at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 2.