Shikhar Dhawan is set to be dropped for the Tests against the West Indies with prolific Karnataka opener Mayank Agarwal likely to get a maiden call-up. Dhawan’s place for the longer format was anyway in doubt following his untoward returns in England and it now looks certain that he’ll finally get the axe despite his exploits in the Asia Cup.
The selection committee was originally scheduled to pick the squad for the two-match series on Wednesday but it’s learnt that they have decided to postpone the meeting by a few days for now. The reason for the delay is that MSK Prasad & Co are waiting on the reports for Ishant Sharma and R Ashwin, who will undergo fitness tests on Sunday, before taking a call. Ashwin had suffered from a hip injury during the third Test in England while Ishant left the field during England’s second innings in the final Test after experiencing some pain in his left ankle.
While the results of Ishant’s fitness test might not have too much of an impact on the selectors, it’ll be interesting to see who they go for in case Ashwin isn’t cleared to be selected for the two Tests.
Shaw will be the front-runner in Dhawan’s absence to walk out with KL Rahul to open the innings in Rajkot next week. And the two-day contest against the Jason Holder-led team from the Caribbean could well be a dress rehearsal of sorts for the Mumbai teenager.
