India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar on Wednesday shed light on the selection decisions for the upcoming two-match Test series against West Indies, particularly addressing why Narayan Jagadeesan was preferred over Ishan Kishan.
Agarkar clarified that Kishan’s fitness played a major role in the call. “When we picked India A, Ishan Kishan wasn’t fit. Jagadeesan was part of the squad when Ishan wasn’t fit. Ishan will have to play a bit more cricket and show some performances,” Agarkar said during the squad announcement press conference.
The selectors have backed Jagadeesan, who has impressed with his consistent performances in domestic cricket, while Kishan will need more game time to push his case for a red-ball return. This also marks Jagadeesan’s first inclusion in the senior Test squad.
Agarkar also gave an update on wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, saying he is “close to gaining his fitness” but will not be available for the West Indies series. The management, however, is hopeful that Pant will be ready in time for the South Africa series starting November 14.
