India Gear Up for West Indies Tests; Bumrah, Kuldeep, Axar Given Rest After Asia Cup Win

India kicked off preparations for the first of their two-Test series against the West Indies on Tuesday, less than two days after their Asia Cup triumph. Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel were given a break, while the rest of the squad, including captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir, trained for nearly three hours at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

With minimal turnaround between the white-ball Asia Cup and the start of the World Test Championship series on Thursday, managing player workload remains a key focus for the team. The session, as reported by PTI, began with light warm-ups and catching drills before moving to the nets, where batters had extended practice stints and pace bowlers put in hard work.

Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, fresh off India A’s unofficial Test win over Australia A, bowled for about 45 minutes, generating good pace and bounce. Gambhir inspected the pitch both on arrival and after the training session to assess conditions.

Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul looked in fine touch, as did wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, who captained India A in the recent unofficial Test. Middle-order batters B Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal also impressed. Skipper Gill, however, faced challenges from India’s pacers and throw-down specialists, experiencing a few outside edges and rising deliveries that tested his technique. He rotated between nets and bowler combinations to prepare for his first home Test as full-time captain.

Selection discussions are expected over the final extra batter slot between Padikkal and Nitish Reddy. Padikkal looked in rhythm following his 150 in India A’s unofficial Test, while Reddy impressed with both batting and seam bowling, offering a third pace option if needed. The rest of the lineup appears settled, including Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep, Siraj, and Bumrah.

Kuldeep, who claimed a match-winning four-wicket haul in the Asia Cup final, will pose a significant challenge to a West Indies line-up inexperienced in Indian conditions.

Meanwhile, rain curtailed the West Indies’ training session, forcing them to practice indoors for only half an hour. India’s preparation, by contrast, progressed under clear conditions as they aim to carry their momentum from the Asia Cup into the Test arena.