Gaikwad or Jaiswal? Dravid puzzled over Pujara replacement for IND vs WI 1st Test

Another series for the Indian cricket team and the selection headaches resume. With Cheteshwar Pujara not in the India Squad that will take on West Indies, the third place is up for grabs. And Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the two potential candidates to replace the veteran batter up the order. In the meantime, Virat Kohli will slot in at number 4 to accommodate either of the two batters.

Both Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal are keen to find their name in the Playing XI when India takes on West Indies for the first Test match starting on 12th July. India head coach Rahul Dravid is unwilling to tinker with the opening combination of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. But the main headache for Dravid is choosing between the impossible choice of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

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The two batters are very good domestic cricketers but the highlight for both has been the IPL 2023, especially for the 21-year-old Yashasvi. Following the conclusion of the Indian Premier League, Ruturaj was set to travel with the Indian squad to England for the WTC Finals as a standby player.

However, the CSK opener decided to opt out of the series owing to his marriage. And there comes Jaiswal. The selectors immediately decided to grant the opportunity to Jaiswal who replaced Gaikwad. But now, the dynamics have changed. Both top-order batters have been selected for the India tour of West Indies and are eager to prove their worth in the National Team.

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Both the batters are traditionally openers and prefer being top-order batsmen. But with India having a set opening duo of Rohit and Shubman, only one of the two Gaikwad or Jaiswal will get a chance to replace Cheteshwar Puajara at the number 3 position.

Virat Kohli and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will slot in the number 4 and 5 spots respectively. While Kohli needs no introduction, he will be a crucial batter for the Indian side on this overseas tour. Rahane who made a strong comeback into red-ball cricket after a long gap of 14 months had a stunning IPL 2023 season and stood strong against the strong Aussie bowling in the WTC Finals.

India Team Choice against West Indies

1. Rohit Sharma
2. Shubman Gill
3. Yashasvi Jaiswal/ Ruturaj Gaikwad
4. Virat Kohli
5. Ajinkya Rahane
6. Ishan Kishan / KS Bharat (WK)
7. Ravindra Jadeja
8. Ravichandran Ashwin
9. Shardul Thakur
10. Mukesh Kumar/ Jaydev Unadkat
11. Mohammed Siraj

INDIA Test Squad: Rohit Sharma (Capt), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane (VC), KS Bharat (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Navdeep Saini.

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