India announced their 15-man squad to face the West Indies in a two-match series in late September 2025. The Men in Blue will host Windies Test players from October 2, 2025 with several players failing to make their final shortlist. Fans were left surprised by some of the exclusions, with major names like Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Shami failing to make the cut.
Let’s check out the top players who failed to break into India’s Test squad, as the side aims to revamp their World Test Championship (WTC) campaign.
Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami will play no part for India against their visitors from October 2 in the Test meeting. Several reports confirm that Shami currently has fitness issues to deal with amid India’s busy international calendar. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors decided to leave out Shami from Test cricket to allow his recovery in due time.
Karun Nair
BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar had this to say about Karun Nair while announcing India’s squad to face the West Indies:
“We expected more from Karun. Padikkal offers a little bit more at this point. Wish we could give everyone 15-20 Tests, unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. Padikkal was in the Test squad in Australia, played against England in Dharamsala, got a fifty there. He’s shown some decent form. Frankly, we expected a bit more from Karun,” the chief selector said.
India decided to select Devdutt Padikkal over Nair for the upcoming Test. The result of their decision will be evident when both teams collide in early October.
Abhimanyu Easwaran
Abhimanyu Easwaran has done everything right since his ascension to become India A’s captain; however, he still hasn’t held down a place in the main lineup. Easwaran remains on the fringes after touring England with the squad. He will not play any part in India’s games against the Windies if no injuries or replacements occur.
Anshul Kamboj
24-year-old pacer Anshul Kamboj is another major player set to miss India’s home Test against the W/Indies. Kamboj was a part of India’s tour of England earlier in 2025 but failed to return to the long-format squad for their home Test.
Kamboj is one of several players who failed to make the squad vs West Indies after their outing against England. BCCI selectors decided to go with other players with seam abilities and experience over the youngster. It is unlikely if Kamboj can break into the squad as all team members appear fit ahead of the West Indies encounter in few days.
Manav Suthar
Manav Suthar is a young batter with decent returns in India’s domestic cricket scene. Several news reports claimed that Suthar could make his much-awaited move into India’s senior Test squad for the West Indies Test. However, selectors chose other players instead of Suthar, prolonging his wait for a place in the long-format lineup.
The decision of BCCI selectors to go with experienced players over youth is a direct result of their current WTC ranking. BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar and other committee members aim to use India’s experienced players to boost their position in the overall rankings.
India currently sits third after playing more games than log leaders Australia. Seeking experience over youth could deliver the results India seek at home against their visitors. Young players like Suthar will have to wait for their chance to represent India in the game’s long formats.
Rishabh Pant
India’s top wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant fired on all cylinders during his last Test appearance for India. Rishabh faced England on foreign soil and continued to perform with a broken toe fracture to ensure India in Whites bagged a positive result. However, recovery from the toe injury has not gone quickly, and he is set to miss this high-stakes Test encounter.
Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer was the designate India A captain as they faced Australia A in a separate Test encounter. Many fans and analysts expected Iyer to be a part of India’s final squad to host the Windies; however, that isn’t the case.
Iyer requested a six-month long break shortly after receiving approval from the BCCI. He is set to stay out of red-ball cricket until 2026 for fitness reasons. Reports suggest that Iyer told BCCI officials that his current physical condition cannot withstand multi-day cricket.
A recurring back issue appears as a lingering problem the star player intends to fix before returning to long-format games.
