The Indian Test and ODI teams announced by the BCCI for the tour of West Indies have a distinctive Maharashtra flavor, with about six players from Mumbai and one from Pune featuring in the Test squad. Apart from skipper Rohit Sharma, newly reinstated vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shardul Thakur are the players from Maharashtra in the Test squad.
Marathi dominance in Indian squad
The ODI team will have five players from Maharashtra, including Rohit, Gaikwad, Surya Kumar Yadav, and Thakur. So, putting the Test and ODI squads together, there are a total of six players from Maharashtra in the Indian squads that have been named.
The fast-rising Ruturaj Gaikwad has been knocking at the door of the Indian team for the last couple of years with some scintillating performances in the IPL.
After making his T20I debut in July 2021 against Sri Lanka and his ODI debut in October 2022 against South Africa, the circle is now complete for Gaikwad, as he is all set to make his Test debut perhaps as well.
The 21-year-old Yashaswi Jaiswal has also made it to the Test squad, riding on his swashbuckling opening knocks for the Rajasthan Royals that have made everyone sit up and take notice of him. Jaiswal is seen by many in Indian cricket circles as a serious long-term prospect for the country.
It is Misal-Pav flavour for WI
With Cheteshwar Pujara being dropped from the squad and Umesh Yadav omitted as well, Indian cricket is seeing the beginning of a transition with the old guard paving the way for the young.
The grooming of youngsters has well and truly begun, as India embarks on the 2023–2025 World Test Championship cycle. After two failed attempts to clinch the WTC title, having lost to New Zealand and Australia in the 2021 and 2023 finals, respectively, the cricketing powers are finally signaling a shift towards a new-look Test team by 2025.
