After successfully whitewashing Sri Lanka in all three formats of the game, Virat Kohli's men are gearing up for a limited-overs series against Australia, starting September 17 in Chennai.
The Indian team for the first three ODIs -- to be played in Chennai, Kolkata and Indore -- will be announced as the national selection committee convenes on Sunday, September 10. Notably, Australia have already picked both their ODI and T20I squads for the upcoming sereis.
Read : BCCI announce India squad for Australia series
Kohli and his men displayed ruthlessness in Sri Lanka, completing a 5-0 thrashing of the hosts in the ODI series. In the one-off T20I that was played last Wednesday, September 6, Kohli led from the front with a 54-ball 82 to steer his team past the finish line.
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The selection committee, headed by MSK Prasad, thus is unlikely to tinker much with the Indian team. However, here are a few points that the selection committee will have to deliberate before announcing the squad for the much-anticipated series against the world champions.
Availability of R Ashwin
Premier off-spinner, who tormented Steve Smith's men during their Test tour to India earlier this year, is unlikely to feature in the first three ODIs owing to his ongoing County stint.
The off-spinner is currently plying his trade with Division Two side Worcestershire on a four-match contract. Ashwin came up with fine performances in both his previous outings and he will be expected to play the remaining two matches, which starts on September 12 and September 25.
By the time Ashwin returns from England, India would have completed four ODIs against Australia and thus the selectors are unlikely to hamper his county stint.
A BCCI official told the Press Trust of India that the national selection committee will take a call on Ashwin's availability. The source feels it is a no-brainer to deny the Tamil Nadu off-spinner some valuable County experience as it will help him perform better in foreign conditions, especially with India's tour to England scheduled in 2018.
Problem of plenty for Kohli in spin department
India can afford to rest their premier spinner as the new-found spin trio of Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav came up with impressive performances during the tour to Sri Lanka.
It will be interesting to see if the selectors will recall Ravindra Jadeja, who was rested along with Ashwin for the Sri Lanka tour, as the selection committee had decided on rotation policy from a pool of 20-25 players, looking ahead to the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
On the other hand, Mohammed Shami is likely to return to the ODI squad after missing the Sri Lanka tour. The 27-year-old pacer is expected to replace Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur, who made his ODI debut in the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka, last month.
KL Rahul's form cause of concern
Bankable Test opener Lokesh Rahul's poor form is the only cause of concern in an otherwise settled batting line-up. The Karnataka star failed to carry forward his Test match form into the ODIs as he managed only 28 runs from three innings in Sri Lanka.
Dinesh Karthik, who impressed with a couple of crucial knocks in the West Indies earlier this year, might get another chance in the middle-order.
Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma along with Kohli are in fine form and the trio are expected to play a key role in the upcoming series. MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav are likely to retain their places in the middle-order, while Hardik Pandya will continue as the seam-bowling all-rounder.
Possible India squad (1st 3 ODIs): Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami
Australia ODI squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.
Australia T20 squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner, Jason Behrendorff, Dan Christian, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Patrick Cummins, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa.
