West Indies announce squad for 1st Test against India

The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Senior Men's Selection Panel on Saturday announced the squad for the first match of the home Test Series against India.

The panel named 13 squad members and two travelling reserve players for the match which will be played at Windsor Park in Dominica from 12 to 16 July.

There is a first-time call-up for left-handed batter Kirk McKenzie, while fellow left-hander Alick Athanaze is the other uncapped player in the squad. There are recalls for allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall, who played his last Test in November 2021, and left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican who was in the squad which toured Zimbabwe but missed the last tour of South Africa in February, as per a press release from Cricket West Indies (CWI).

Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie is unavailable for selection as he is undergoing rehabilitation from injury.

"We were very impressed with the approach to batsmanship of McKenzie and Athanaze on the recent 'A' Team tour of Bangladesh. These are two young players who got good scores and played with great maturity, and we believe they deserve an opportunity," said lead selector, Dr Desmond Haynes.

"We are without Motie, who is doing his rehabilitation, and this has created an opportunity for Warrican and Cornwall in the spin bowling department. They have both played at Test match level before and are capable of doing the job."

"We had Jayden Seales here in the camp and he has made good progress during his rehab from surgery. However, we felt he is not yet quite ready to return, and we do not want to risk him at this stage. Kyle Mayers was also considered but he has some niggles, and the precaution is not to have him in the rigours of a five-day match at this stage."

"Looking ahead to the series we know it will be a challenging one as we start the new cycle of the ICC Test Match Championship. We want to build and improve and strive to move up the ladder," he concluded.

West Indies squad will travel to Dominica on Sunday following their ongoing pre-series camp at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. They will have training sessions on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning in the build-up to the match.

The Test Series will be the first fixtures for both West Indies and India in the new 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship. The first match begins on Wednesday at 10 am (9 am Jamaica/7:30 pm India). The second Test on 20-24 July at Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad will be historic - marking the 100th Test match between West Indies and India.

Full Squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain), Alick Athanaze, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kirk McKenzie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican. Travelling Reserves: Tevin Imlach, Akeem Jordan.