Reports: Prithvi Shaw to debut and two star players to be rested for Windies Test series
After India clinched the Asia Cup title for the record 7th time, all eyes will now be on the squad for the Test series against West Indies, which begins on October 4. The Test series against West Indies is going to be a practice stage for the selectors and players before the tour of Australia.
As per the reports in TOI, BCCI will announce the Test squad on Sunday. India will not be experimenting a lot which means it will turn out to be a pretty balanced side with minimal surprises. But one of those might be a Test debut for Prithvi Shaw.
Prithvi Shaw to debut; No Murali Vijay; Mayank may have to wait
Opening slot has been the bottleneck for India in the recent times. The Indian team didn't have a great outing at the top in the Test series against England. Thus, this time around, selectors will be keen to have a look at trying another option for the opening slot.
Prithvi Shaw, the Indian prodigy, is set to make his debut in the opening Test against the West Indies. With KL Rahul all but guaranteeing himself of a spot with an exceptional 149 in the final Test against England, Shaw is set to complete the opening pair.
Shikhar Dhawan is expected to be the third opener instead of Murali Vijay who had an abysmal tour against England but followed that up with a strong end to the county season with Essex. In addition to that, the selectors are in no hurry to include Mayank Agarwal for the Test series against Windies.
Ishant and Ashwin set to pass the fitness test
Ishant Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin are expected to pass the fitness test on Sunday which will, in turn, have their places fixed in the squad. Stand-in India skipper for the Asia Cup Rohit Sharma is expected to walk back into the team at No. 6 with Rishabh Pant being the regular wicket-keeper. Besides, Ravindra Jadeja will be retained in the squad along with Kuldeep Yadav.
Bhuvneshwar and Hardik to be rested
According to the report, fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar and all-rounder Hardik Pandya are set to be rested for the two-match Test series as a precautionary measure, especially with the tour of Australia on the horizon.