Karun Nair seems to have played his last Test after the national selectors decided to give Sai Sudharsan a long run at the No. 3 position.

Nair enjoys the confidence of an influential member of the think-tank but it was not enough as the Ajit Agarkar-led panel decided to try out Devdutt Padikkal in the middle-order during the two-match series against the West Indies starting next month.

“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,” Agarkar said at a news conference in Dubai on Thursday.

Agarkar spoke about persisting with Sai at No. 3.

“Eventually, it’s a little bit about continuity...I think there were a few changes at No. 3 (in England), because of the combination that we played.

“So that just depends on what the captain and the coach at that point want, and
what balance they want. But as far as going forward is concerned, Sai has shown a lot of promise. We know he’s a very good player. Hopefully, we can give him a longish
run from now on, at a particular number. Hopefully, going forward, we can give these guys time to actually build their careers.”

Shubman Gill will lead in his second Test series, his first at home, after the team drew the England series 2-2. Ravindra Jadeja has been named vice-captain since Rishabh Pant is still undergoing rehabilitation for his fractured foot since the fourth Test
in Manchester.

Dhruv Jurel and N. Jagadeesan are the two specialist wicketkeepers in the squad, with Jurel expected to be the first choice behind the stumps.

Jasprit Bumrah is also part of the squad, and is expected to feature in both Tests.

“Yes, he’s available for both the Test matches. We’ve had a fair break after England. In fact, he didn’t play the fifth Test either. So there’s been five weeks of break. And even this tournament’s been fairly spaced out till this last week. So he’s ready and keen to play both Test matches.”

Abhimanyu Easwaran, Anshul Kamboj, Arshdeep Singh and Shardul Thakur have missed out from the expanded squad that toured England.

Akash Deep, who missed the fourth Test in Manchester with a groin injury, was not included keeping in mind the spin-friendly conditions at home. He’s instead been named in the Irani Trophy squad along with Easwaran.

The same applies to Arshdeep Singh, who will ply his trade for India A in the second and third one-day games.

Wake-up call

Agarkar said that the 3-0 drubbing against New Zealand at home last year was a
“lesson” which “we don’t want repeated again”.

“Of course, because of the World Test Championship, every Test match becomes very important,” Agarkar said. “Obviously, we had a terrible series against New Zealand. Maybe it was a wake-up call. It was a lesson. We don’t want that repeated. We’ve generally been, over a long time, very strong at home. It was after a while that we had a few bad results. And we want to try and put it behind.

“All these four Test matches that we play at home, to West Indies and to South Africa, become very critical. We want to try and get as many points as possible, particularly at home. It’s a game, so anything is possible. But we don’t want to try and let what happened against New Zealand happen again.”

Agarkar heaped praise on Nitish Kumar Reddy. “Nitish showed a lot of promise... Even the way he bowled well at Lord’s. And the way he batted under pressure in the second innings. Plus, his batting in Australia has shown he’s got the potential. And he’s still a young kid. He was developing his game.

“So, the more he plays, the better he’s going to get. And we obviously have an eye on him. So, if he does develop into that all-rounder that you always keep looking for, it
does give you a lot of flexibility with the XIs that you pick and the balance you can create in the team.”

Shami factor

The chief selector made it clear that Mohammed Shami has to prove himself to be in the reckoning. The fast bowler has struggled with injuries since the 2023 World Cup.

He was part of the 2025 Champions Trophy squad earlier this year, but hasn’t come close to a national call-
up since.

“He’s not played a lot of cricket,” Agarkar said. “In the last two-three years, I think he’s played one match for Bengal and one match in the
Duleep Trophy. So, as a performer, we know what he can do. But, he will need to
play something.”

Shreyas injury

Shreyas Iyer will lead India A in the three-match 50-over series against Australia A.

Asked if this late change in leadership — after Rajat Patidar and Tilak Varma were originally announced as captains — hinted at a bigger role for him, Agarkar denied any such talk.

“I don’t think we’ve discussed the 50-over format yet,” he stated. “At the moment, we have to pick a Test squad. Shreyas is a senior player. He obviously leads his franchise in the IPL. He’s one of the senior guys.

“He was captain for India A as well. It’s not like because of that, we’re looking at him as a Test captain. We’re trying to find qualities of a leader in a lot of people.

“In India A, he gives us an opportunity to see if somebody has that ability... He’s been a key player in one-day cricket over the last few years. He gets three games before we go to Australia. More than anything, we want him playing and playing well because he becomes a key member in the one-day squad.”

Earlier in the day, the BCCI confirmed Shreyas’s request for a six-month break from red-ball cricket.

Secretary Devajit Saikia said in a press statement that he “has informed the BCCI of his decision to take a six-month break from red-ball cricket”.

“Having undergone back surgery in the UK and managed his recovery well, he has recently experienced recurring back spasms and stiffness while playing the longer format. He wishes to utilise this period to build endurance, body resilience and work on his fitness. In view of his decision, he was not considered for selection for the Irani Cup.”