In case MS Dhoni heeds the selectors advice to rest during the five-match ODI series against the West Indies,Gautam Gambhir is likely to take his position at the helm. The national selectors will meet on Friday to pick the squad for the first three games of the upcoming series. According to highly-placed sources,selectors are keen to give Dhoni a break as he has been playing almost non-stop for two years. With the long and arduous Australian tour on their minds,the selectors want Dhoni fresh for the Tests and tri-series Down Under. It depends on Dhoni. The selectors are not going to force their decision on him. If he wants to play,he will play. But Dhoni needs some rest before an important series, said the source. Asked about his availability,Dhoni said: I havent decided anything yet. Dhoni issue aside,the selectors have happy problems to deal with,as all the seniors are fit and available. During the disastrous tour of England,injuries to several big names had opened the doors for those on the fringe,and the likes of Parthiv Patel,Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja did well,both in England and the return-leg home series that India won 5-0. After picking a young team for the home series against England,chief selector K Srikkanth had said they had taken a youth policy with an eye on the future. But now,as a preparatory series for the tour of Australia,the policy has changed to the right mix between youth and experience. Incidentally,Sachin Tendulkar is yet to inform about his availability or the lack of it. With the other seniors playing,there is bound to be several changes from the squad that whitewashed England. However,with the possibility of top players leaving early for Australia,the door might open for the likes of Manoj Tiwary and others for the last two matches. Harbhajan Singh,though,is unlikely to be picked. Sources claim that the tri-series in Australia that follows the four-Test series could be the earliest the spinner may return. But for that,he will have to take wickets in the Ranji Trophy. As of now,his performance hasnt inspired confidence. Team for Aus tour on Saturday Meanwhile,the Test team for the tour Down Under will be selected on November 26 and the selectors have decided to include Zaheer Khan as the provisional 17th member. Zaheer hasnt played any cricket since limping off with a hamstring injury in the first session at Lords. Eight batsmen,two wicketkeepers,five seamers and two spinners are likely to be picked for Australia. Ajinkya Rahane has almost sealed his position of reserve opener,while Rohit Sharma seems certain as a backup for the No. 6 position. Praveen Kumar will return to the five-pronged pace attack,along with Ishant Sharma,Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron. R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha will be the two spinners.
