India Considering Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Reddy For West Indies Tests: Report | Cricket News

Indian men’s selectors will likely consider selecting left-handed Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal and Andhra Pradesh all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy for the upcoming two-Test home series against the West Indies, according to a report by ESPNcricinfo. The report also claimed that in the absence of Rishabh Pant, who will miss the series due to a leg injury, Dhruv Jurel is set to be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper.

Padikkal has played two Tests for India, with the most recent being at Perth in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and is in good form. He scored a 150 for India ‘A’ against Australia ‘A’ in the first four-day game between the sides in Lucknow. A possible selection for the top-order batter would make sense considering India are still searching for a number three option, with neither of R Sai Sudharsan nor Karun Nair convincingly grabbing their opportunities in England.

Meanwhile, Reddy was part of the squad that toured England, but couldn’t impress much before suffering a knee injury. He was part of the India ‘A’ squad for the first game but didn’t start; he is in the squad for the second game as well, alongside Padikkal.

Meanwhile, Jurel kept wickets and scored 140 against Australia ‘A’ in that first game, which was severely affected by rain. He previously impressed in the home series against England in 2024 but starved of chances when Pant returned in the following months.

This series is unlikely to help him replace Pant, considered India’s greatest-ever wicketkeeper already, as the first-choice, but the Uttar Pradesh star can surely cement himself further as a number two. Pant fractured his toe in the England series and is said to be undergoing rehab at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

The report added that with Jurel’s temporary promotion, Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan, who flew to England when Pant picked up the injury, can be called upon to be the backup wicketkeeper for the series.

The West Indies Tests begin on October 2. They’ll be India’s second Test assignment for the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle and the first home series since the 3-0 whitewash by New Zealand last year.