Kuldeep Yadav marks Test return as India face West Indies in Ahmedabad

Yadav, who last featured in a Test in February 2024 against New Zealand, missed the entire Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy earlier this year but forced his way back into contention after topping the wicket charts at the Asia Cup, where he claimed 17 scalps in seven matches.

Despite being a regular in India's limited-overs squads, his Test appearances have been restricted due to the dominance of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

To date, Yadav has 56 wickets in 13 Tests, including four five-wicket hauls.

India's XI also features Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy, while Devdutt Padikkal was overlooked. Dhruv Jurel comes in as wicketkeeper, replacing the injured Rishabh Pant.

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj spearhead the pace attack, with Axar Patel joining Yadav in the spin department.

West Indies, captained for the first time by Roston Chase, are chasing their first Test victory in India in nearly three decades.

They opted to bat first on a green surface, with Shubman Gill noting that early assistance for pacers could give way to spin later in the match.

The visitors are without Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph and Jason Holder through injury, but handed debuts to Johann Layne and Khary Pierre.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul returned as opener, with Brandon King shifted down the order.