West Indies have been forced into a change ahead of their upcoming two-Test series against India, with 22-year-old Johann Layne called up to replace fast bowler Shamar Joseph. Cricket West Indies confirmed the development in a social media post, revealing that Joseph has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury. He will be reassessed before the Bangladesh white-ball tour starting October 18. Layne, an all-rounder from Barbados, has made 19 first-class appearances to date. While he has scored 495 runs with two half-centuries, it is his bowling that stands out. He has already claimed 66 wickets at an impressive average of 22.28, including four five-wicket hauls. West Indies’ updated squad for the Tests in India features Roston Chase as captain with Jomel Warrican as vice-captain. The first Test begins in Ahmedabad on October 2.
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Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Johann Layne, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales Meanwhile, India have announced their squad with two notable returns. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Devdutt Padikkal are back in the mix, while Karun Nair and Abhimanyu Easwaran have been left out. Shubman Gill will lead the side, supported by Ravindra Jadeja as vice-captain. Rishabh Pant, who fractured his right foot in Manchester, continues his recovery and is targeting a comeback for the South Africa series. In his absence, Dhruv Jurel and N Jagadeesan will share wicketkeeping duties.India Squad: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, N Jagadeesan, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav Jasprit Bumrah has been cleared to play both Tests, with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna adding further pace options. Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh, however, miss out due to conditions at home, while Shreyas Iyer has taken a break from red-ball cricket to focus on fitness. Ajit Agarkar underlined the importance of these matches in the World Test Championship cycle, stressing that India cannot afford a repeat of their poor showing against New Zealand.
