In a major blow to the West Indies, Alzarri Joseph has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match Test series against India due to a back injury. Jediah Blades, who is yet to make his Test debut, has been called up as cover after Jason Holder declined to join the team as a replacement for Joseph because of ‘planned medical procedures’.
According to details shared by Cricket West Indies, Alzarri felt a problem in his lower back. Scans revealed that his old lower back injury has deteriorated, ruling him out of the Test series.
Blades made his debut for the West Indies in 2024 in an ODI match against Bangladesh. Since then, he has played three ODIs, taking a single wicket. His T20I debut came against Australia at Basseterre in 2025. The 23-year-old left-handed pacer is currently in the UAE for the three-match T20I series against Nepal, although he did not get a chance to play in the first T20I, which the West Indies lost.
Losing Alzarri will create a huge void in the West Indies’ plans, as he has experience playing in India. This is the second blow for the West Indies, as a few days ago Shamar Joseph was also ruled out of the series.
The Roston Chase-led West Indies are currently training in Ahmedabad, the venue for the first Test, which starts on 2 October.
Updated West Indies squad: Roston Chase (Captain), Jomel Warrican (Vice-Captain), Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales, Jediah Blades (cover).
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