India vs West Indies 2016 Squad: Final Indian team for India tour of West Indies 2016 announced
India's Test squad for the West Indies tour has been announced and as expected, there are no major changes from the team which routed South Africa 3-0 at home late last year. The tour will see the Indian team play 4 Tests against the home side across July and August 2016; however, the schedule for the matches has not been revealed yet.
The series is going to be an important one for skipper Virat Kohli and his troops as it is being played after a long season of limited-overs cricket. In a major announcement, Ajinkya Rahane has been officially named as the vice-captain of the side.
Batsmen
The tried and tested combination of Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay has been retained at the top of the order with KL Rahul being included in the squad as the reserve opener. Cheteshwar Pujara, Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma will make up the middle order with a likely toss-up between Pujara and Rohit for a place in the final XI.
Wicket-keepers
Wriddhiman Saha is the only regular wicket-keeper to be included in the squad and he will also be occupying the No. 7 position in the batting order. If at all Saha gets injured during the series, KL Rahul may have to don the big gloves for India.
All-rounders
The Indian team has opted for two all-rounders in the squad - Ravindra Jadeja and Stuart Binny. Even though Jadeja has been recognised more for his spin bowling in recent times, he is capable enough to play the all-rounder role. Binny, on the other hand, has been brought in as a genuine all-rounder but may only get a chance depending on the playing conditions.
Bowlers
The spin department will rest on the shoulders of Ravichandran Ashwin and leg-spinner Amit Mishra. However, it may be difficult for Mishra to break into the playing XI if the team think-tank sticks with the successful spin duo of Ashwin and Jadeja.
The selectors have gone for a packed pace attack for the West Indies tour with Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav retaining their places. Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been brought back into the team whereas Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur has been drafted to the squad for the first time.
Full Squad:
Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Stuart Binny.