West Indies Fast Bowler Alzarri Joseph to Miss India Test Series Due to Back Injury

West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph will not play in the upcoming two-match Test series against India. The West Indies Cricket Board shared this update on social media. Joseph has been facing back pain, and after scans, it showed problems with his old lower-back injury. This is a big setback for the West Indies as the Test series is set to begin on October 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

West Indies have named Jediah Blades as cover for the two-Test series against India, with the youngster set to join the squad after finishing the ODI and T20I games against Nepal, while former skipper Jason Holder was also approached to step in for injured Alzarri Joseph but declined due to medical reasons.

This is the second setback for West Indies ahead of the Test series against India, as their key pacer Shamar Joseph was also ruled out earlier this week. The board did not reveal details of his injury but confirmed that the right-arm quick, who played a big role in the home series against Australia, will miss the matches against India.

Meanwhile, Johann Layne has been picked as the replacement for the injured fast bowler. The upcoming series will also mark West Indies’ first assignment in the new WTC cycle, with the Roston Chase-led team already landing in Ahmedabad a few days early to get used to the local conditions and prepare well.

Updated West Indies Test squad vs India

Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope (wk), Tevin Imlach, Jediah Blades, Johann Layne, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales.

India vs West Indies Test Series 2025 Schedule

Test	Dates	Venue	Start Time (Local)
1st	October 2 - 6, 2025	Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad	9:30 AM
2nd	October 10 - 14, 2025	Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi	9:30 AM