St John's [Antigua], September 29 : West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has been ruled out of the two-Test tour to India due to a lower-back injury, reported the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday, with Jediah Blades, an uncapped player in whites, named as his replacement.
West Indies, who are already without Shamar Joseph due to an injury, will also miss the services of the experienced Alzarri, who has 124 wickets from his 40 Tests. The series will start from October 2 onwards and will be a vital one for the ICC World Championship (WTC) campaign of Windies, which has registered eighth-place finishes in all three editions so far. A fine showing against an in-transition Indian side led by skipper Shubman Gill, which secured an impressive 2-2 draw against England away from home, could help the Windies achieve bigger heights in the WTC.
The Roston Chase-led side will feature in two Tests in India in October, and hope to secure their first Test win in the country since 1994, as per ICC.
The West Indies series will be new skipper Shubman Gill's first home outing. India enter the series on the back of a 2-2 drawn Test series in England, whereas when the West Indies last featured in the longest format, they endured a 0-3 series loss against Australia. While India is in third position in the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27, West Indies is in sixth place.
Windies Cricket posted on their X handle, "Squad Update. Alzarri Joseph has been ruled out of the upcoming test series against India due to a lower back injury. After complaints of discomfort, scans revealed a degeneration of the previously resolved lower back injury. Jediah Blades, who has been capped in One Day Internationals and T20 Internationals, has been drafted in as cover for the two tests following the ongoing series against Nepal."
Since his international debut last year, Jediah has featured in three ODIs and four T20Is for the Windies.
Cricket West Indies also added on their X that all-rounder Jason Holder "declined selection as Joseph's replacement for the series citing a planned medical procedure."
Updated West Indies squad for India Test series
Roston Chase (capt), Jomel Warrican (vice-capt), Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Johann Layne, Jediah Blades, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales.