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Chennai: Virender Sehwag's injured right shoulder will be the main topic of discussion as the selectors prepare to pick the 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy and the preceding tri-series in Sri Lanka.
Sehwag might not be fit to bat before September 17 and despite the temptation to include a proven match-winner, it does seem likely that Krishnamachari Srikkanth and company will keep Viru out of the squad.
The selectors, it is understood, want the same squad for both the Sri Lanka tri-series and the Champions Trophy to ensure that the players, who have been out of cricket for two months now, get back into the groove before the premier tournament in South Africa.
The Lanka series and the Corporate Cup in India before that are perfect launch pads for the Champions Trophy and Sehwag won't be able to play in any of these tournaments.
The opener too doesn't want to rush it after the T20 World Cup fiasco, where he had to return midway.
In Sehwag's likely absence, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir will open the batting with Rahul Dravid coming in at No. 3. There was no doubt whatsoever about Dravid's inclusion since the time he was included in the 30-member probables' list.
A section of the BCCI brass also believes that Dravid shouldn't have been dropped in the first place from the One-day team.
Sources suggest it will be difficult for Rohit Sharma to hold on to his place following patchy performances in the World T20 and the West Indies series.
Virat Kohli, following excellent performances in the Emerging Players trophy, could have come into the fray but the selectors aren't too keen to test a youngster in a key away tournament. "A lot of ODIs at home are coming up and we can use Kohli there," a well-placed source pointed out.
In that case, Dinesh Karthik will hold on to his place following his impressive showing in the ODI series in West Indies. "Two wicketkeepers may be a luxury, but he used his chances in the West Indies," sources said.
There won't be too much debate about the inclusion of Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma and RP Singh for the three pacers' slots (Abhishek Nayar being the all-rounder), but there's a possibility that Munaf Patel may replace Praveen Kumar. The selectors, though, may just leave it to the team management to take a final call on the fourth pacer.
There is likely to be a debate about the second spinner's slot as well, with some of the selectors keen to include leggie Amit Mishra ahead of Pragyan Ojha. But the left-armer bowled well in the IPL and the final choice may once again rest with Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten.
Probable squad: Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (captain/wicketkeeper), Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Amit Mishra (Pragyan Ojha), Praveen Kumar (Munaf Patel), Dinesh Karthik, Abhishek Nayar.
