The Indian selectors will convene on Monday afternoon (May 23) to select the squads for India's forthcoming tours of Zimbabwe and West Indies. The national team is scheduled to play a series consisting of three One Day Internationals and three T20 Internationals against Zimbabwe, beginning on June 11th, before traveling to the Caribbean Islands for a four-Test series in July-August, the schedule of which is yet to be announced.
While the national selectors are expected to announce a full strength squad for the Tests in West Indies, changes are expected for the series against Zimbabwe, with several first-choice players set to be rested following a hectic workload which included a home series against South Africa, a series against Australia, a short T20I series against Sri Lanka, the Asia Cup, World Twenty20 and finally the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are more than likely to be rested while the status of ODI and T20I captain, MS Dhoni, remains unclear.
"Let's leave it to the selectors. Before any tour, if a player wants to take rest, they convey to the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and the selection committee takes a call. If the selectors want to experiment with some new players, they take the senior players into confidence. There's a set process in place," newly elected BCCI president, Anurag Thakur said, when asked about selections.
If the seniors are rested for the Zimbabwe series, Manish Pandey and Jasprit Bumrah, who made fleeting appearances during the Australian tour, are expected to be picked. KL Rahul, who impressed with his whirlwind knocks for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), is also expected to find a place in the touring party. Krunal Pandya, the find of this season's IPL has made a strong case for himself with his all-round show for Mumbai Indians (MI) and might, ironically, replace his younger brother, Hardik Pandya. Yusuf Pathan's strong showing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the ongoing IPL could just win him a berth in the middle-order, ahead of Suresh Raina.
The selectors have left it to MS Dhoni to take a call on his availability for the Zimbabwe series. If he decides to take a break, Wriddhiman Saha might find himself in the ODI squad as the wicket-keeper batsman. Mohit Sharma, whose death bowling has been impressive for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), should also be back in India colours. Ajinkya Rahane, who led India during their last ODI tour of the southern African nation, could then shoulder the responsibility of leading the young squad.
While the selectors have a lot to ponder about the squads for the shorter formats, it will be an easier task as they look to select the men for the Tests in the West Indies. With the openers looking solid, KL Rahul might find himself on the flight as the back-up option. Karnataka middle-order batsman, Karun Nair, was called up as an injury replacement during the tour of Sri Lanka and he could be added as a middle-order option for Virat Kohli.
Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are shoo-ins for the Tests in the Caribbean with Umesh Yadav, who grabbed five wickets in the last Test India played, against South Africa, expected to be the third seamer. Stuart Binny is also a strong chance to make it to the squad, as the pace bowling all-rounder. India's spin depth isn't a worry with Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra all but sure of making it to the squad.
The tour of West Indies will be India's first Test series since the 3-0 victory over South Africa, late last year. It will be followed by a run of 13 home Tests, with Bangladesh, New Zealand, England and Australia, all scheduled to visit India shores.
