Openers, Injuries: Qs Ahead of India’s Selection for Windies Tests

India’s two-Test series against West Indies will be a sort of dress rehearsal ahead of their tour of Australia.

Dhawan failed to register a single half-century in eight innings in England.

Sandwiched between their 1-4 loss to England, and the all-important tour to Australia in November-January, India will be playing West Indies in a two-match Test series, starting 4 October.

The national selection committee will be meeting to pick the squad for the two five-day games. And two things that are likely to come up for discussion are Shikhar Dhawan's recent form and the fitness status of Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin.

India’s first Test will be played in Rajkot, and Hyderabad will host the second and final match, starting 12 October.

While the Indian cricket board did not issue a customary media advisory about their meeting in the capital on Wednesday, 26 September, sources in the BCCI said the five-member committee may wait for an official announcement till the end of the Asia Cup final.

Skipper Virat Kohli is expected to come back after a three-week break, while Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant are all but certain to be included in the squad. But there are still some grey areas regarding the selection.

Openers Slots: Will Dhawan Get Another Chance?

Openers KL Rahul and Murali Vijay.

India just never seem to get the openers combination right during the Tests against England. Murali Vijay was sent home after the first three matches, while KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan were far from being consistent.

Vijay is back among the runs in county cricket but having been recently dropped, it will be difficult for him to make a comeback. KL Rahul, who scored a 149 at The Oval after nine poor innings, has probably sealed one of the opener's slot. However, the issue is with Dhawan.

His prowess on flat tracks with lack of seam movement is known to one and all as it has been evident during the Asia Cup. But when the ball swings or seams at a high pace, his technique has been found wanting as he has been a complete failure outside the subcontinent.

Dhawan failed to register a single half-century in eight innings in England.

There is a possibility that if given a chance, Dhawan will again plunder runs against a weak West Indies attack on featherbeds before turning into potential 'walking wicket' against the likes of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.

The bone of contention will be whether Dhawan's subcontinental form once again becomes parameter for his selection when the Australia tour is round the corner.

Cap for Prithvi Shaw?

Youngsters Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal have scored truckloads of runs and are waiting for their opportunity.

Youngsters Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal have scored truckloads of runs and are waiting for their opportunity.

Prithvi was included in the squad for the last two Test matches in England and would be hoping that he gets his much-deserved Test cap at Rajkot. The 18-year-old recently scored his first list A century off 61 balls in the Vijay Hazare Cup.

Mayank has scored more runs across formats than anybody in Indian domestic cricket and A team matches, and deserves a spot in the team. While announcing the team for the Asia Cup, chairman of selectors MSK Prasad had said:

Mayank Agarwal has been fantastic and has been consistent in the last 10-12 months. He is just a step away and I am sure in due course of time he will get his recognition. And he did well in all three formats, in whatever opportunities he has got in domestic cricket. We will definitely look at it when we rest some of the senior players.

Injuries: Ashwin? Ishant?

Ravichandran Ashwin's hip injury and Ishant Sharma's dodgy ankle are two worrying areas for the selectors. Both have pulled out of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and it's still not clear if they will be fit for the Test series.

Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav are two sure shot picks in the squad.

In case Ashwin misses out, Hanuma Vihari's part-time off-spin is one option and in the next line of spinners, the choice is between Krishnappa Gowtham and Jayant Yadav.

Shahbaz Nadeem despite his brilliant form will have a tough fight with Jadeja and Kuldeep, who are already in the squad.

For the leg-spin option, there are Amit Mishra and Yuzvendra Chahal even though A team coach Rahul Dravid has termed the latter as a "work in progress".

Karun Nair could be one of the middle-order back-ups while Bhuvneshwar Kumar is expected to come back into the side.

(With inputs from PTI)