The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a 16-man squad for the upcoming two-Test series against the West Indies, which marks the beginning of the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle. The squad selection indicates a transition towards the next era in Indian Test cricket, as young players like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been included, while veteran Cheteshwar Pujara has been dropped.
Gaikwad was initially selected as a standby player for the World Test Championship final but opted out due to his marriage, and Jaiswal replaced him for the summit clash. Both Gaikwad and Jaiswal have made compelling cases for selection, but only one of them is likely to debut in the playing XI, possibly at the number three position in the batting order.
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Gaikwad had a successful IPL season, scoring 590 runs for the Chennai Super Kings, while Jaiswal performed even better for the Rajasthan Royals, scoring 625 runs. Gaikwad has recorded close to 2,000 runs in 28 first-class games, while Jaiswal has scored nearly the same amount of runs in just 15 games at an incredible average of 80.21.
Both players generally open the batting for their domestic sides, but Jaiswal has also batted at number three and had a strong performance in the recent Irani Trophy clash. The inclusion of Jaiswal at number three could address the issue of a predominantly right-handed dominant batting order for Team India, providing better balance and challenging opposition bowlers with a different approach.