Jasprit Bumrah Declared Fully Available for Both West Indies Tests, Says Ajit Agarkar

After criticism for limited play in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirms the pacer is “keen and ready” to feature in both Test matches against the West Indies.

September 25, 2025: Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s number one Test bowler, is not only included in India’s forthcoming two-Test series against the West Indies, but he is also “keen and ready” to play in both matches. Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector, stated on Thursday, September 25, that the fast bowler was fully available. This put to rest any remaining worries about how to manage his workload that had been bothering him during the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

Bumrah, who was previously criticized for only playing three of the five Tests against England, will now lead the attack for the Shubman Gill-led team in the home series set for October 2025.

The Workload Watch: From Criticism to Commitment
The management made the deliberate choice to give the 31-year-old pacer less work in the last Test series, where he grabbed 14 wickets in three games, but fans and experts were not happy with it. However, when Agarkar talked to the press in Dubai about the team announcement, he was very clear about Bumrah’s commitment.

Agarkar said, “Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is ready and eager to play both Tests against West Indies,” confirming that the team’s best fast bowler is ready to go.

His career stats show how important he is: in 48 Tests, he has taken 219 wickets. He took an amazing 32 wickets in his last important series, the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He has a great record against the West Indies, having taken out 13 batters in just two Tests, including a famous Test hat-trick.

Gill & Co. Picks Strong 15-Member Team
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have named a strong 15-member team to start the new home season. Shubman Gill, a young captain, will be in charge of the team. Ravindra Jadeja, an all-around player with a lot of experience, will be the vice-captain.

Bumrah will be in charge of a fast bowling attack that includes the in-form Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. Siraj, in particular, will want to keep up his great form after taking 23 wickets in five matches in England, including nine wickets in the last Test at The Oval, which won the match for him.

The team has a good mix of young and old players, and some of the best players are on the field:

India’s team for the two-match Test series against the West Indies includes Shubman Gill (C), KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Narayan Jagadeesan (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, and B Sai Sudharsan.

The selection committee, on the other hand, decided not to pick Bengal pacer Akash Deep for the home series. Instead, Akash Deep will play for the Rest of India (ROI) team in the Irani Cup match against Vidarbha in Nagpur.

The Indian side will be counting on Bumrah’s brilliance to set the tone for the season against the Men in Maroon, since the pace spearhead is fit, firing, and ready to take on the full burden.