WI vs IND: Why is Cheteshwar Pujara Not Playing India vs West Indies 1st Test? Check IND Playing 11

In a crucial news development, the Indian team has taken a bold decision and dropped senior batsman Cheteshwar Pujara for the two-match Test series in West Indies starting with the 1st Test match from 12 July, 2023 at the Windsor Park in Roseau, Dominica. India suffered a disappointing 209-run defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 final against Australia a month ago that was also their last international game. Incidentally, the opening Test match against West Indies will mark the start of the 2023 – 2025 WTC Cycle for the Indian team.

WI vs IND: Why is Cheteshwar Pujara Not Playing India vs West Indies 1st Test?

Interestingly, Cheteshwar Pujara misses out from the India Test squad for the WI vs IND 1st Test and even from the second Test match. On the eve of the first Test match against West Indies, Indian captain Rohit Sharma revealed that Shubman Gill will be taking up the vacant No.3 spot while debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal will be opening the batting alongside the skipper to form a left-hand – right hand opening combination. This also means that the Indian team management has taken the big decision to move ahead of Pujara in the longer format of the game after his below-par performances in the WTC final and the home series against Australia. Overall, in 103 Tests, the right-hander has scored a total of 7195 runs at an average of 43.61 that includes 35 fifties and 19 hundreds, however, since 2020, Pujara has a poor average of 29.6 that includes just a single century.

However, Cheteshwar Pujara did score an impressive century in the Duleep Trophy 2023 game against Central Zone, but it will be unlikely for him to now make a comeback in the Indian Test team.

IND Playing 11

1. Rohit Sharma (C)
2. Yashasvi Jaiswal
3. Shubman Gill
4. Virat Kohli
5. Ajinkya Rahane
6. Ravindra Jadeja
7. Ishan Kishan (WK)
8. Ravichandran Ashwin
9. Shardul Thakur
10. Jaydev Unadkat
11. Mohammed Siraj

WI vs IND 2023 Schedule