India's tour of West Indies concluded on Sunday (August 13) with the Caribbean side sealing the fifth and final T20I and thereby winning the series as well. It was a decent tour for India as they won two-match Test series, three-match ODI series but went down for the first time against the West Indies in T20Is in 17 years. The Men in Blue also did a lot of experiementation on the tour especially in the white-ball format but still five players didn't get a chance during the tour in separate formats. Here we bring you five such players who didn't get a chance on West Indies tour:
1. Navdeep Saini (Tests)
Many were surprised to see Navdeep Saini getting picked in the Test squad for the series against the West Indies. It was the start of the new World Test Championship cycle as well and hence, India opted not to experiment much. Hence, Navdeep Saini was one of the players who didn't get a chance in the series. India's pace bowling attack comprised Mohammed Siraj, Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur and Mukesh Kumar across two Test matches with Mukesh making a debut in the second Test.
2. Ruturaj Gaikwad (Tests)
Ruturaj Gaikwad seems to be at the top in the pecking order in Indian cricket at the moment. He was in the Test and ODI squad but played only one game (in ODI series) but didn't get a chance to make his debut in red-ball cricket. The management preferred Yashasvi Jaiswal who smashed 171 in his debut outing itself to seal his position. But Gaikwad is being seen as the future leadership prospect it seems with the selectors naming him the captain for the Asian Games. Gaikwad will be hoping that he continues good show across formats in domestic cricket to stay in the hunt.
3. Yuzvendra Chahal (ODIs)
Yuzvendra Chahal might have played all the matches of the recently concluded T20I series. Bu surprisingly, he was never picked in any of the three One-Day Internationals. Amongst a lot of experimentation with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also not batting, many expected Chahal to at least play one game ahead of the World Cup. But the management benched him for the entire series.
4. Avesh Khan (T20Is)
Avesh Khan last played for India in the Asia Cup on August 31, 2022. While his name in the T20 squad was somewhat surprising for many, the pace bowler didn't get a single chance to play. India didn't make many changes throughout the series as they were behind right through but Avesh has been picked for the Ireland tour and the Asian Games and will be hoping to get an opportunity to showcase his skills.
5. Umran Malik (T20Is)
Umran Malik was a sensation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) last year. But for India, he is yet to set the stage on fire and unfortunately, hasn't got enough chances as well. He played two matches in two ODIs but didn't pick up a wicket. It was surprising to see him warm the bench in all five matches and is not a part of the squad for the Ireland tour.
