Selectors look to the future with India's Test squad

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As far as the reserve opening batsman's slot goes, in blooding the talented KL Rahul the selectors are looking at the future.

They don't speak much in public and only a terse media release lists those picked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India's selection committee.

On Monday, the BCCI release on the team chosen to tour Australia for the Test series next month went a step ahead and spoke about the skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, recovering from a thumb injury, being rested for the first Test as a 'prophylactic' (meaning preventive or precautionary) measure to ensure optimum recovery.

But seeing an unusual complement of three wicketkeeper-batsmen in the touring party - Wriddhiman Saha and Naman Ojha are the others - is indicative that there are no guarantees about Dhoni's fitness being close to Test level during the series. It also suggests that the think tank may be unwilling to risk aggravating his injury ahead of the World Cup.

Clearly, unlike on the England trip, the tour selectors have been given a good choice of pacemen to pick from among Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma and Mohammed Shami to play alongside swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The combination they choose will determine how quickly India's bowlers can claim 20 wickets in each Test.

Seam bowlers Pankaj Singh and Ishwar Pandey, who were on the tour of England, may find hard done by but that is the nature of the selection beast, especially when the belief appears to be backing the faster Umesh Yadav. Then again, this may well be a tacit admission by the selectors that they erred in their choice of seam and swing bowlers on that tour.

Karn Sharma's pace and bounce could be excitingly handy in Australia but whether the tour selectors will look to displace left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and, for that matter, offspinner R Ashwin to include the Railways legspinner remains to be seen. He could be an exciting option, a bowler who the Australians have not played before, notwithstanding their stint in the IPL.

As far as the reserve opening batsman's slot goes, in blooding the talented KL Rahul the selectors are looking at the future but by recalling left-handed Suresh Raina to the Test squad they are looking for some kind of experience when it comes to the reserve middle-order batsman.

There was some talk about recalling Virender Sehwag in place of Gautam Gambhir, whose footwork in England was vertical rather than rooted to the ground. But the selectors have done well to give the talented, consistent and deserving Rahul the task of learning the job in one of the most competitive environments in world cricket.

Raina's return was a foregone conclusion after Team Director Ravi Shastri spoke openly about wanting to see the left-hander in the Test squad. Even if he does not immediately push for a slot in the middle-order where Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma are the preferred options, his being in Australia can help him in the World Cup.

But, purely from the four-Test series point of view, the selectors have done well to pick a squad of 19 from which the tour management will have to choose the best XI for each Test. That and the performances of the chosen XI will determine how combative India are in the Test matches in Australia.

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