Rohit Sharma in focus as India set to announce squad for New Zealand Tests

The selection panel of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) - comprising of Vikram Rathour (North Zone), Saba Karim (Central Zone), MSK Prasad (South Zone) and Gagan Khoda (East Zone), and led by Sandeep Patil - will announce India's squad for the three-match Test series against New Zealand on Monday (September 12).

While the panel is likely to trim down the 17-member squad that toured West Indies to 15, no new inclusions are expected.

Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan are expected to remain the three options for the opening slots. The presence of three quality openers will cause a problem of plenty for the team management while deciding the playing XI but shouldn't cause much of a headache while jotting down the squad. Despite a good showing in the Duleep Trophy with scores of 77, 90, 59 and 94, Gautam Gambhir is unlikely to find a spot in the squad.

Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, who scored 251 and 243 runs respectively in the recently-concluded West Indies series, will form the backbone of middle order. Cheteshwar Pujara's form, especially outside India, has come under scrutiny but following back-to-back centuries in ongoing Duleep Trophy, the Saurashtra batsman's place in the squad shouldn't be under any threat for now.

Rohit Sharma remains the weakest link in the Indian batting line-up at the moment. Unlike his limited-overs exploits, the Mumbai batsman has failed to notch up big scores in the longest format of the game, except a dream debut series against West Indies where he recorded consecutive centuries. In nearly three years since, Rohit has failed to reach triple figures. Ravichandran Ashwin's twin centuries in West Indies at No. 6 further dents his chances of making the cut. And with the likes of Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer and Karun Nair knocking on the doors with consistent show in domestic cricket and A tours, Rohit might not even be able to secure a spot amongst the reserves.

Amol Muzumdar, the former Mumbai skipper, feels that it is very difficult for any inclusions given India's good form in Tests over the last one year. However, he thinks, consistent performers at domestic level need to be rewarded. "If a player is in good form, he needs to be picked there and then," Muzumdar said.

"It is important to pick and reward hardworking guys in domestic cricket by pushing their cases. There are a lot of players who have performed exceedingly well in the last 12 months. Players such as Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey come to your mind immediately when you talk about middle order batting, also in the late middle order," he added.

However, Milind Rege, the former Mumbai captain and current selector, counters Muzumdar's opinion and feels Rohit deserves a longer rope and a chance ahead of in-form domestic cricketers.

"As a selector myself, I understand the pain of keeping in-form players out," Rege said. "Had it been any other batsman, I would've felt that the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey should have been selected. But Rohit Sharma is an exception. He has performed very well in limited overs and has all the talent to do well in Tests. It is only a matter of time before he clicks. It is unlikely that the selectors will drop him."

Wriddhiman Saha's place in the side seems secure, even as other wicketkeepers like Naman Ojha, Sheldon Jackson, Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel have scored consistently in domestic cricket. While Saha is a technically better keeper than the rest, he has also played some gritty knocks with the bat at the international level to keep the competition away.

Much like the batting order, the spin trio of Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra are unlikely to face an axe. Left-armer Kuldeep Yadav or tall offspinning all-rounder Jayant Yadav would be considered if the selectors decide to go with a fourth spinner in the squad, on the basis of their form in Duleep Trophy and A tour respectively.

India had gone in with five pacers to West Indies, apart from the all-round services of Stuart Binny. Two of those six players are under threat of being left out. Muzumdar reckons, "You need specialists in Test matches." While Shardul Thakur and Stuart Binny didn't get a chance to play in West Indies, Umesh Yadav was left out because of his wayward bowling after a good start to the tour.

Rege believes Thakur and Binny could be left out and the selectors will go in with the remaining 15. Umesh too could face the axe if the selectors decide to go with only three pacers, making way for an additional spinner or batsman.

The first Test is set to start on September 22 at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur