Agarkar Signals Extended Run For India Star After West Indies Selection: 'Has Shown A Lot Of Promise'

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Indian players celebrate their win against England in 5th Test | Image: AP

India announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against West Indies. Karun Nair and Mohammed Shami have been excluded from the squad, while Ravindra Jadeja has been named Shubman Gill's deputy following Rishabh Pant's unavailability due to injury.

Sai Sudharsan didn't get to impress with an underwhelming display in England, but he did show flashes of brilliance. The southpaw has retained his spot in the squad and is expected to be involved in both matches. The retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma opened up some new avenues, and Ajit Agarkar confirmed they will provide Sudharsan a longer rope in order to settle into the Test side.

He said at the press conference, "Sai has shown a lot of promise, he's a very good player. Hopefully we can give him a longish run from now on at a particular number. When people like Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma retire, those are big holes to fill, not to forget Ashwin retired a few months back and Shami hasn't played for a while now.

"Those guys, for the last 10 years, have been the key players for the team. Lot of these youngers guys have shown some really good signs in England which was a really tough tour, even though we didn't win it but there were lots of positives and we can build on them. Hopefully, going forward we can give these guys time to actually build their careers."

Karun Nair didn't get a chance to further prove his Test credentials after he failed to capitalise on his chances during the England Test series. Mohammed Shami was also a notable absentee. The Indian pacer has had his issues with injury and has last played for India in the WTC final against Australia in 2023.

Also Read: Ajit Agarkar Outlines Factors Behind Mohammed Shami's Exclusion From India's Squad For West Indies Series: 'He Hasn't Played A Lot Of Cricket'

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