The hosts have not name a replacement for the left-handed batsman, with Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul both able to play at the top.
Rohit Sharma's hopes of a Test comeback took a slight jolt as he was dismissed for a duck on the third and final day of the warm-up match between Board President's XI and South Africa.
'I play in the present without thinking about the buzz in the background,' says Vivek Sagar Prasad, who has just won the FIH Rising Star of the Year award.
While the two T20 matches will be a precursor to the ODI series, vice-captain Rohit Sharma is likely to be given a short break to rejuvenate and come back fresh for the ODIs.
Indeed, this might be the easiest way to select India's World Cup team of 15, by picking the top 15, with only No 16 Vijay Shankar perhaps replacing No 13 Khaleel Ahmed to bolster the batting!
Selection committee looking to continue building towards World T20 in Australia in October 2020.
Injured opening batsman Murali Vijay has kept his place in India's squad for the final two Tests against Australia, while all-rounder Hardik Pandya dropped out with a shoulder problem.
Peter Handscomb struck his maiden ODI hundred and Ashton Turner smashed a blistering 84 not out to secure Australia's series-levelling four-wicket victory against India in the high-scoring fourth one-day international in Mohali on Sunday.
Veteran Yuvraj Singh made a comeback to the Indian team, while Virat Kohli took over the captaincy from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, for the forthcoming three-match ODI and T20I series against England, starting in Pune, on January 15.
Suresh Raina was on Monday ruled out of the remaining two ODIs against New Zealand after failing to recover from viral fever as India decided not to make any change to the squad that has taken a 2-1 lead in the ongoing five-ODI series.
Virender Sehwag has once again trained his guns on Virat Kohli, saying currently there is no one in the team who can stand up to the India skipper and point out his mistakes on the field.
The three-day practice game will give a chance for the players who are already in the West Indies to shift from limited overs to the five-day format.
Fearless Hetmyer guides West Indies to challenging 207/5
Here are different scenarios depending on how the series pans out
Batsman Suresh Raina was on Sunday rewarded for his recent domestic performance with a recall to the Indian Twenty20 squad for the three-match series against South Africa, starting February 18.
The consistent attacks from both the wrestlers in the fast-paced final bout had the fans on the edge of their seats as close to 1500 gathered at IGI stadium to watch their favourite star in action.
India midfielder Manpreet Singh will take over the captaincy from PR Sreejesh in the Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat next month, marking the hockey team's first major tournament after the retirement of Sardar Singh.
His cricketing brain, always sharp, was blessed with exceptional speed of information absorption and processing. He could quickly zero in on what needed to be done and use the element of surprise to overpower the opposition, observes Shreekant Sambrani.
Rohit Sharma will lead a second string Indian team, comprising leading performers in domestic (Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 and IPL) tournaments, for the Twenty20 tri-series in Sri Lanka, starting March 6. S hikhar Dhawan will be his deputy in the side that has as many as six changes.
The 20-year-old's top prize, however, did not translate into an Olympic quota for India as Apurvi Chandela and Anjum Moudgil have already secured the maximum two berths available per country in last year's World Championships.
Kohli, who was named man-of-the-match for the 2nd Test that India won against Sri Lanka in Nagpur on Monday, will play the third and final Test in New Delhi.
India's limited overs run-machine Rohit Sharma said there is no point fretting over his start-stop Test career as 'half' of his playing days are over.
As expected, Yuvraj Singh returned to India's squad for the One-day series against Australia following impressive performances in recent outings for India 'A' against West Indies 'A' and India Blue in the Challenger series.
Mumbai youngster Prithvi Shaw and Andhra batsman Hanuma Vihari were the two surprise inclusion in India's squad for the last two Tests of the ongoing five-match series against England.
Ponting had nothing but words of encouragement for the star Delhi Capitals player.
'All I am saying is just give me a chance. It is my dream to compete in the Olympics too.'
'I am not saying let me go to the Olympics. I am asking for a fair chance for a trial.'
'All these years I have been training for what? What is the point if I cannot compete?'
A fit again Wriddhiman Saha was named in the Rest of India squad that will take on first-time Ranji Trophy champions in the Irani Cup to be held in Mumbai from January 20-24.
Delighted to see Yuvraj Singh regain his silken touch, former India captain Sourav Ganguly said the stylish left-hand batsman deserves a comeback into the national team.
Trent Boult top the most valuable players list with Mohammed Shami hold on to second position
Rohit lauded the efforts of the bowlers for producing crucial breakthroughs.
The rebel group, demanding better playing conditions from the All India Tennis Association, said they will continue to remain unavailable for Davis Cup selection until the federation engages with them in 'good faith'.
Gautam Gambhir's exclusion from India's squad for the first two Tests against Australia is a "positive" development for the tourists, feels former cricketer Matthew Hayden.
The upcoming tour of Zimbabwe is vital for the fringe players looking to cement a place in the senior India squad. Failure, says Harish Kotian, could well see them lose their places forever.
Senior Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik on Thursday earned a recall to the Indian team for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy after Manish Pandey was ruled out due to a side strain.
Parvez Rasool is a peculiar case. No matter how his career eventually shapes, he will always make news.
All-rounder Krunal Pandya and medium pacer Deepak Chahar earned their maiden call up in the Indian squad to replace the injured Washington Sundar and Jasprit Bumrah for the three-match Twenty20 International series against England, starting in Manchester on Tuesday.
'The one thing that a cricketer aspires for is earning the respect of the dressing room and that respect is earned only when any player puts his hand up in adverse conditions and does his job for the team.'
India's long winning streak in Test cricket is under threat in a quick-fire three match series against South Africa this month, where their status as the top ranked nation in the format faces a stiff examination.
In the presence of three selectors, U-19 star Gill hit an unbeaten 106 off 111 balls.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday.
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