3 Indian Players Who might retire from Tests after the West Indies series

Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma (Source: Twitter)

Team India is all set to return to action during the West Indies tour after a month-long gap following a heartbreaking defeat in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23. The multi-format series consists of two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is. The Indian squad, captained by Rohit Sharma, has begun preparations for the first Test, which will be played in Dominica from July 12 to 16.

Senior players like Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are part of the squad. Meanwhile, veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara could not find a place due to his recent poor performances. However, this series will be an opportunity for a few youngsters like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ishan Kishan.

In this article, we take a look at three players who might retire from Tests after the West Indies series

3. Wriddhiman Saha

Wriddhiman Saha

The 38-year-old wicket-keeper batter last played a Test match in 2021. He was not a part of many Test series in the WTC cycle 2021-23. Even in the absence of Rishabh Pant, Saha was not picked in the squad for the WTC final against Australia. In the West Indies series, Saha was again overlooked in favour of KS Bharat and Ishan Kishan.

Team India selectors are likely to stick with these young players, and once Pant returns, Saha has no chance of making the squad again. His age also becomes a barrier to a comeback in red-ball cricket. Considering all these facts, the veteran cricketer might decide to bid farewell to Test cricket after the IND vs WI series.

2. Ishant Sharma 

Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma was Team India's primary pacer a few year ago. However, a poor show in the WTC 2021 final against New Zealand and the following games forced the selectors to ignore the right-arm seamer from the longer format. The 34-year-old, who last played a Test match in December 2021, managed just 14 wickets in 8 matches.

Ishant did not feature in the recently concluded WTC final and was also neglected in the West Indies tour. He is unlikely to get any further opportunities. Hence, this might prompt him to hang up his boots from Test cricket after the West Indies series.

1. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma

The Indian captain does not have the best record in Test cricket and his recent form has not been great either. India lost the WTC final under his captaincy, and if West Indies beat India in the two-match series, he is most likely to retire from red-ball cricket.

Apart from his captaincy, Rohit also failed as a batter in both innings of the WTC final against Australia. His last century was against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. With Team India looking to build a squad with young talent, it will not be surprising if the 36-year-old decided to focus on limited-overs cricket after the IND vs WI series.