Rahkeem Cornwall receives maiden full West Indies Test call up as Chris Gayle is left out

The uncapped 26-year-old allrounder has made it into the 13-man squad for the two-match series against India, but Gayle and Alzarri Joseph are notable absentees

Rahkeem Cornwall has been called up to the West Indies Test squad for first time for their two-match Test series against India, but opening batsman Chris Gayle has been left out.

The 26-year-old uncapped allrounder has impressed with Leeward Islands in domestic first-class cricket, taking 260 wickets in 55 matches and scoring 2224 runs at 24.43.

However, after stating towards the end of the World Cup that he would be postponing his retirement to play a Test against Virat Kohli's men, opener Gayle has been omitted from the 13-man squad.

Speaking about the selection of Cornwall, the chairman of the interim selection panel Robert Haynes said: "Rahkeem has been performing consistently over a long period of time and has proven to be a match-winner, so we believe his elevation to the Test squad is merited at this time.

"We believe he can provide an attacking option to our bowling attack with his sharp turn and extra bounce. He can also lend a bit of depth to the batting, so we are looking forward to him coming into the squad and making a valuable contribution."

^{Chris Gayle has not been selected in the 13-man squad}

Alzarri Joseph is alongside Gayle another notable absentee, with the 22-year-old still working his way back from dislocating his right arm for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, an injury which forced him to miss the World Cup.

"Alzarri is undergoing remedial work and we are monitoring his recovery, but we do not think he is ready yet to last five days of a gruelling Test match," Haynes said.

"He represents a key part of West Indies' future and we do not want to rush him back. We have two important series coming up later in the year in India and we want to be very careful how his recovery is managed."

Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, who was a part of West Indies' series win against England earlier this year, was also left out for the Tests in Antigua and Jamaica, which begin on August 22 and August 30 respectively.

West Indies Test squad to face India

Jason Holder (c), Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shane Dowrich (wk), Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Keemo Paul, Kemar Roach

To celebrate England winning the World Cup you can subscribe to The Cricketer for just £20.19. Click here to learn more