In wake of injuries to Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and with all-rounder Hardik Pandya yet to resume bowling after recovering from a back surgery, India could give the nod to uncapped Navdeep Saini for the marquee Test series in Australia.
Bhuvneshwar, who last played a Test on the 2018 trip to South Africa, had another injury setback when he seemed to have aggravated a hamstring niggle while bowling in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) and was later ruled out of the tournament.
The 30-year-old is likely to be unfit for the entire Australian trip where India also play three ODIs and three T20Is before the Tests.
Ishant, on the other hand, is a doubtful starter for the first Test, likely in Adelaide from December 17, after a rib cage injury at the sidelines of IPL 2020.
This could mean Saini, one of the brightest fast bowling talents around the circuit, flying to Australia for what could well be his debut in playing XI, although other first-class performers will definitely also be considered.
When it comes to Hardik, who hasn't hit the delivery stride in IPL, his first assignment post-operation last year, a source close to the matter told Indian Express in a report, "His [Pandya’s] body can’t take the longer version at the moment, he is fine for the shorter versions though", making it unlikely that the fast bowling all-rounder will feature in the Test side for the first time since August 2018.
The report further states on Hardik, "he has changed his bowling action and is being monitored by former India pacer Zaheer Khan at the Mumbai Indians franchise."
If Ishant is missing, Saini could join Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami in a three-pronged pace attack down under.
There has been a delay in the selection committee meeting to pick the squad, expected to be a large one due to COVID-19 pandemic, because a detailed itinerary from Cricket Australia (CA) is yet awaited. However, it is expected to be announced this week.
It is learnt, the BCCI while ready to adhere to the 14-day quarantine regulation, wants training facilities to be available for Indians' use after seven days of isolation.
"The players will fly to Australia from Dubai on completion of the IPL, while the support staff are likely to reach Down Under by the end of this month," the report states.
A few practice games are being planned by the board for Test specialists, Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari, in Dubai. Not part of any of the eight IPL teams, the two batsmen have not played competitive cricket since March.
(Inputs from Indian Express)
