Iyer, Patidar & Padikkal to battle for 1 middle-order spot in IND vs WI Assessments

Immediately after the Asia Cup 2025 campaign, the focus will shift to Test cricket briefly. India will take on West Indies in a two-match Test series, starting October 2. With the India squad for West Indies Test series set to be picked by the existing BCCI selection committee this week, it will be similar to the squad that toured England. However, there are a few gaps that the selectors would look to fill. Rishabh Pant is still injured and will miss the series. While Dhruv Jurel will come in as his replacement, India could also recall Shreyas Iyer and end Karun Nair’s hopes.

While Karun Nair played both at No 3 and No 6, he failed to put up an inspiring knock against England, where pitches were helpful for batting. That could cut his return shot after missing out on the Duleep Trophy and India A series due to injury.

Dhruv Jurel will be the designated keeper in Pant’s absence. And after that, India will still have a spot to fill as Nair is also unlikely.

Injury crisis

• Rishabh Pant
• Nitish Kumar Reddy (likeky to recover)
• Karun Nair
• Sarfaraz Khan
• Akash Deep

Even if the selectors want to give a last chance to Nair, it is unclear whether he has regained his full fitness. He could miss out on a spot if he is injured. Furthermore, Rishabh Pant is out with a foot injury. Even though he was in India A squad for the Australia series, he did not feature in the first game.

Another middle-order batter who is currently on the sidelines is Sarfaraz Khan. Although he returned to cricket in the Buchi Babu Trophy, he did not play all the games due to an injury.

Akash Deep has also struggled with injuries since the England tour. He has missed out on the Duleep Trophy and the India A vs Australia A series.

Middle-order muddle

Shryeas Iyer

With multiple injuries, there is a space open in India Test XI for West Indies series. If Karun Nair misses out due to injury or form, selectors could call Shreyas Iyer back. Iyer last played for India in a Test series back in February 2024 against England. However, after poor returns against South Africa and England, Iyer was dropped. Since then, he has worked on his technique and has been successful with the bat. He averaged 68.57 in the Ranji Trophy before an excellent Champions Trophy campaign and IPL season. However, in the only match he played against Australia A, he struggled, scoring just 8.

Karun Nair

The Karnataka veteran returned to Team India for the England tour on the back of an excellent domestic season. However, he failed to live up to that hype in England. Nair averaged 25.62 in eight innings in England with just a half-century. With form not in his favour and injuries preventing him from playing domestic cricket, he may not be in the fray for a Test return.

Rajat Patidar

There could be a surprise return for Rajat Patidar. Since taking over the Madhya Pradesh captaincy, Patidar has been in excellent form. He averaged 48.09 in the Ranji Trophy and then on red ball return, he scored 382 runs in five innings of the Duleep Trophy at an average of 76.40. As Team India are looking for a batter at No 5 or 6, Patidar could be the right option.

Devdutt Padikkal

Before Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal was in and out of Team India. In his limited opportunities, Padikkal scored a fifty against England on debut. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli still active at that time, Padikkal did not get many opportunities. However, when the squad for the England tour was announced, Padikkal was injured, and the selectors went with Sai Sudharsan. While selectors would prefer Sudharsan, they will be keen to give Padikkal an opportunity. At No 3, Padikkal could be a good option. He is also in form, having scored a century and a half-century in three innings of the Duleep Trophy.