The selectors have tried to provide the team management with a backup option for all departments in the upcoming Test series against England, according to new chief selector Sandeep Patil.
India will look to make the most of their only warm-up game, beginning, in Sydney, on Wednesday against Cricket Australia XI.
The Indian team management's dilemma over Virender Sehwag's opening partner was evident during the training session as both Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan were seen spending considerable time at the nets ahead of the first Test match against Australia on Friday.
Mayank Agarwal has been in top form in Test cricket and he could carry that form into the limited overs series if picked in the playing XI. The Karnataka cricketer is currently playing in the Ranji Trophy and will join the national squad before the opening ODI.
Gautam Gambhir has been dropped from the Indian team to face Australia in the upcoming Test series, begining in Chennai on the 22nd of this month.
He might be struggling for runs in the ongoing Indian Premier League, but Chennai Super Kings' batsman Murali Vijay feels that he has been batting well in the tournament, which according to the opener is more important than scoring runs.
Captain Virat Kohli and opener Murali Vijay made a mockery of sub-par Sri Lankan attack with effortless centuries as India cruised to 371 for four on the first day of the third and final cricket Test.
Here are some of the memorable celebratory moments...
Former India pace spearhead Javagal Srinath has raised doubts about the team's bowling attack ahead of the upcoming ODI cricket World Cup though he has rated the defending champions' batting line-up as the strongest going into the showpiece event.
Opener Michael Hussey slammed a blistering 54-ball 86 as Chennai Super Kings produced an aggressive brand of cricket to roll over Kings XI Punjab by 10 wickets.
Images from Day 1 of the first Test between India and South Africa in Mohali, on Thursday.
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Kanpur, on Saturday
Opener Murali Vijay believes the fourth Test match is evenly poised after India's disappointing performance with the bat and is hoping the tailenders can build a sizeable first innings lead, on Day 3.
Images of the fourth and final Test between India and Australia being played at the Feroz Shah Kotla
Photos of the Third Test between India and Australia being played in Mohali
One run was all that separated Mitchell Starc from becoming the first number nine Australian batsman to notch up a century in India, as the visitors posted a competitive 408 all out in the third and penultimate Test in Mohali, on Saturday.
Former India batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu heaped praise on Shikhar Dhawan for scoring the fastest Test century on debut on Saturday.
Indian opener Murali Vijay put Australia to the sword in their Brisbane fortress with a brilliant 144 to help drive the tourists to 311 for four at the close of play on the opening day of the second Test.
Rain played spoilsport yet again as Day 3 of the second and final Test between India and South Africa in Bangalore, on Monday, was also washed out.
The Indian opener justified the faith shown on him by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni by scoring an unbeaten 129, putting his team in a comfortable position en route, on Day 2 of the second Test match in Hyderabad.
The message is loud and clear. The out-of-form duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have been put on notice after the selectors included Murali Vijay as reserve opener for the first two Tests against England.
Total runs scored by Virat Kohli in Tests so far this year: 1,182. Last year, Virat aggregated 1,215 runs, notes Rajneesh Gupta.
Following is a fact box on the second Test of the four-match series between Australia and India:
The career statistics of 15-member squad - overall, in India and against New Zealand.
Opener Murali Vijay's unbeaten 151 ensured Rest of India a crucial 75-run first innings lead on Day 2 of the Irani Trophy match against Rajasthan, at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore, on Saturday.
Rajneesh Gupta presents the numbers from the Lord's Test.
India 'A' provided some cheer amidst disappointing show by the senior team as they comprehensively beat England by 53 runs under the Duckworth/Lewis method in the first warm-up match, being held at the Palam Airforce Ground in New Delhi on Sunday.
Left-arm spinners Praveen Gupta and Ali Murtaza shared seven wickets between them to help Uttar Pradesh script a massive 195-run victory over Tamil Nadu on the final day of their Ranji Trophy Group B match in Chennai.
India opener Murali Vijay said he is using the time away from the game to work on fitness with his next assignment being the Test series in Sri Lanka next month.
Rajneesh Gupta presents the numbers from the first Test.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings on Saturday.
Ajinkya Rahane insisted he does not have preference for a particular batting position and that he was willing to bat at any number.
Indian Premier League seems to have calmed Smith and he has won over some Indian fans.
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings stormed into the final of the Indian Premier League with an emphatic 86-run victory over Delhi Daredevils, riding on Murali Vijay's breathtaking 58-ball 113 in what turned out to be a lopsided contest at Chepauk on Friday.
Opener Murali Vijay struck a magnificent double century as Rest of India stretched their lead to a mammoth 354 runs against a hapless Rajasthan on the third day of the Irani Cup match at in Bangalore.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni single-handedly scripted Rising Pune Supergiants' face-saving four-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab with a last-ball six to help them avoid the bottom-place finish in the Indian Premier League in Visakhapatnam, on Saturday.
Jimmy Anderson showed he remains a deadly proposition in English conditions, taking 5-20, as England bowled out India for a miserly 107 on the second day of the second Test at Lord's, on Friday.
Mayank Agarwal, who was the third opener for the West Indies series, is a contender for the yet-to-be-decided squad of 17 that will travel Down Under.
Shikhar Dhawan has been named as the replacement for the injured Murali Vijay for India's upcoming Test series in Sri Lanka.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and Australia played in Hyderabad on Sunday.
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