Sachin Tendulkar is all set to return to the Test arena after a break of two months but all eyes will be on another veteran VVS Laxman’s future when selectors pick the squad here tomorrow for the two-match series against New Zealand starting August 23.
The selectors will also pick the final squad for the World Twenty20 Championship in Sri Lanka in September and Yuvraj Singh, who is training at the NCA after recovering from a rare germ cell cancer, is in contention for a spot.
“It will depend on the fitness certificate that he will get from the NCA,” said a selection committee source.
The first Test Series against New Zealand will be held in Hyderabad while the second match will be played at Bangalore from August 31.
“There are two schools of thought on VVSLaxman. One is that we should give opportunities to youngsters before the series against England, while the other wants to give VVS Laxman a chance to play at home,” the source said.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Coach Duncan Fletcher will be attending the meeting.
Incidentally, this will be India’s first Test Series after their 0-4 annihilation at the hands of Australia, earlier this year.
Tendulkar, who decided to take a break from the recently concluded limited overs series in Sri Lanka, will be fresh and ready to challenge New Zealand, who had a very mediocre Test Series against the West Indies.
The series will also be important as it will be the start of Team India’s journey without Indian cricket legend, Rahul Dravid.
Talented India A Captain Cheteshwar Pujara, who has long been touted as Dravid's ideal replacement, is likely to get a chance to prove his worth in Test cricket.
Rohit Sharma’s string of failures and Pujara’s impressive show for India A in the West Indies makes the latter’s case stronger.