Selection For West Indies Tour: Focus On Dhoni's Future, Kohli's Availability

MSK Prasad and team are scheduled to meet on to pick the Indian cricket squads for the upcoming tour of West Indies which begins on August 3

Moving over India’s unfortunate exit from ICC World Cup 2019, the panel of selectors would now focus on the team’s next mission. MSK Prasad and team are scheduled to meet on to pick the Indian cricket squads for the upcoming tour of West Indies which begins on August 3. It's expected that skipper Virat Kohli's availability and veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni's future will be some of the hardcore issues which are to be discussed. The 38-year-old Dhoni, whose finishing abilities with the bat have been on the wane, would be the centre of discussion amid speculation that he is contemplating retirement even though he hasn't spoken about it till now. Dhoni's selection or omission would be an indicator of things to come in the future. Considering next year's T20 World Cup to be held in Australia, the selectors might opt for the young Rishabh Pant, who is seen as the heir apparent to Dhoni. Another major issue that would surely be debated is the availability of Kohli, who has been on the road for a while. There is a thought that the skipper could be rested considering the long domestic season ahead, which begins in September, and in this scenario, Rohit Sharma could be handed captaincy for the shorter formats. However, with the two Tests being part of the ICC Test Championship, Kohli could be included in the Test squad. A similar approach could be taken for pacer Jasprit Bumrah. The panel would also work on restructuring the middle-order as it was one of the primary reasons for India's exit from the World Cup semi-final. It is expected that picking the middle-order could lead to the biggest debate as the panel has a few choices among Karnataka's Mayank Agarwal and Manish Pandey and Mumbai's Shreyas Iyer, who has been knocking the doors after scoring heavily in domestic cricket. Pandey scored a match-winning 100 for India A against the West Indies A in an unofficial third ODI and after Ambati Rayudu's sudden retirement and Vijay Shankar's failure to nail the number four spot, the focus will be on the trio. Also, the selectors may consider the talented young Punjab batsman Shubhman Gill and Mumbai's Prithvi Shaw. But Shaw's hip injury could come in the way of him being considered. A determined Gill has been among the runs in the West Indies tour for India A. Gill and Shreyas could make the cut. It could also be the end of the road for the experienced Dinesh Karthik and Maharashtra all-rounder Kedar Jadhav, who failed to perform in the World Cup. If Dhawan, who was ruled out of the World Cup owing to a thumb fracture, is deemed fit, he would, in all probability, open with Rohit. Among the new faces, Delhi speedster Navdeep Saini could make the team as he has impressed in ongoing India A tour of West Indies and even picked a fifer. Other regulars, including K L Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, could retain their places in the limited-overs squads. The choice of wicket-keepers for the Tests would be watched with interest as Pant did the job in the last series India played in Australia. With a fit-again Wriddiman Saha, who is considered the best in the country, it remains to be seen if the selectors bring him back or look to the future in Pant. The T20 Internationals are scheduled from August 3 to 6, while the ODIs will take place from August 8 to 14. The two-Test series will be played from August 22 to September 3.