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Cricket PlayersBCCI takes stunning call for India's new Test vice-captain ahead of West Indies series
Cheteshwar Pujara has been dropped from the squad for the tour, which means that India now have a new Test vice-captain.
The absence of Cheteshwar Pujara is one of the big talking points as India announced their squad for their upcoming two-Test series in the Carribean. India's first Test against the West Indies starts on July 12 and will be played in Dominica. The second Test is scheduled to begin on July 20 and will be played at the Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.
Pujara's drop means that India will have a new number three and the presence of the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad means that it could be a Test debut for either of them. Jaiswal's superior record in first class cricket makes him the favourite to take that spot.
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Apart from that though, Pujara's drop also necessitates the appointment of a new Test vice-captain. While there has been speculation about whether selectors might go for Shubman Gill, they have in the end gone for the tried and tested Ajinkya Rahane. Having been dropped from the squad in early 2022, Rahane had been reinstated into the squad for the WTC Final on the back of strong performances in first class domestic cricket and the IPL.
He ended up being India's highest scorer in the first innings, with his 89 off 129 balls leading an improbable fight back from the team. Rahane's 46 off 108 in the second innings was also important in keeping India in the chase for much of the fourth day of the match before their eventual collapse in the first session of Day 5. Rahane batted through a finger injury that he had sustained in the early stages of the first innings.
Rahane had been India's Test vice-captain before he was dropped from the squad in 2022. He captained India in six matches and notably has never lost a Test in which he has led. He was famously India's captain in the absence of Virat Kohli during their sensational victory in the 2020/21 tour of Australia.
