3 player battles to watch out for in IND vs WI 2025 Test series ft. Ravindra Jadeja

India are set to host West Indies for a two-match Test series, beginning Friday, October 2. The opening contest will take place at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, while the second match will kick off at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, on October 10.

This will be India's first home series in the ongoing 2025-27 World Test Championship Cycle (WTC). They kicked off their campaign with a five-match away Test series in England.

Shubman Gill and Co. drew the series 2-2 and are currently placed third in the WTC points table with a points percentage (PCT) of 46.67. The upcoming series will also be India's maiden red-ball assignment at home without the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin.

West Indies are at the sixth spot in the WTC points table. They suffered a whitewash in a three-match home Test series against Australia at the start of their campaign.

The visitors will be without fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph. The two speedsters have been ruled out of the series due to injuries. Left-arm pacer Jediah Blades and uncapped all-rounder Johann Layne later replaced them in the squad.

It is worth mentioning that West Indies have not won a Test series on Indian soil since 1983. India have won nine back-to-back Test series against the Caribbean team.

Here, we take a look at three player battles to watch out for in the IND vs WI 2025 Test series:

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#1 Shubman Gill (IND) vs Jomel Warrican (WI)

Shubman Gill shone with the bat in his first Test series as the Test skipper, amassing 754 runs across 10 innings at an average of 75.40. He became the first player to hit four centuries in a debut Test series as captain.

The right-handed batter will look to continue the same form in the home season as well. While he countered the English bowling attack with great aplomb, his technique against spinners will be tested in the Indian conditions.

Gill has been dismissed by a left-arm spinner 14 times in 33 Test innings. Jomel Warrican could be skipper Roston Chase's trump card against the ace batter.

The 33-year-old has picked up 73 wickets from 36 innings. Notably, 55 of his scalps have come in Asian conditions.

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#2 Yashasvi Jaiswal (IND) vs Jayden Seales (WI)

Yashasvi Jaiswal shone with the bat when India toured West Indies for a two-match Test series in 2023. The southpaw was the highest run-scorer of the series, chalking up 266 runs across three innings at an average of 88.66.

The onus will be on Jaiswal to get his team off to a wonderful start. He has an impressive record in India, scoring 1091 runs from 19 innings with an average of 60.1.

His mini-battle against West Indies pacer Jayden Seales could be an exciting one. He bagged 13 wickets from 6 innings against Australia. West Indies would count on him to make early inroads with the new ball.

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#3 Brandon King (WI) vs Ravindra Jadeja (IND)

Brandon King is expected to play a crucial role for West Indies on the tour. However, countering the Indian spinners on the turning tracks would be a big challenge for the 30-year-old.

The talented batter's contest against left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja could play a key role in the series. Jadeja has dominated visiting teams over the years with his left-arm spin.

The talismanic all-rounder has claimed 237 wickets from 97 innings at home. With his experience and proven track record in India, he could very well be the home team's strike bowler in the series.