MS Dhoni
Hard-hitting batsman, capable gloveman with a penchant for lightning quick stumpings. Can struggle to play in a technically-correct manner when the ball is moving in the air or off the seam, but his determination can't be questioned. Captains the side and is a strong leader of men, but is often criticised for uncreative captaincy and defensive tactics.
Shikhar Dhawan
Rose to prominence with a scarcely believable debut century at lightning pace against Australia in India last year. Questions still remain regarding how he will fare overseas, particularly on bouncy Australian pitches, however his strong returns against New Zealand earlier this year suggest he's capable enough against the new ball.
M Vijay
Overrated hack. Nothing to see here. In form, will probably jag a big ton because he always does against Australia for some strange reason. Decent technique, but needs to work on his leave a bit more.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Dravid 2.0. Had a very mediocre tour to England by his impressively high standards, but expect him to bounce back in Australia. He has a point to prove, and a work ethic to match. Bats long when he gets in, and it'll take something special to dislodge him.
Virat Kohli
The rockstar batsman of the team, Kohli is the only Top 6 batsman with meaningful Test experience in Australia. He proved himself last time round with a century in Adelaide, and expect him to make runs again. He also has a point to prove after poor returns in England, but is driven more by self-confidence than relentless training. May captain if Dhoni is unavailable, and is very inexperienced in that role.
Ajinkya Rahane
Domestic giant turned Test batsman, Rahane is still settling in to cricket at the highest level. His century against New Zealand at the Basin, and another ton in England prove that he's not just a home track bully; his technique is quality and he has an incredible appetite for runs. Expect big things from him on this tour.
Rohit Sharma
Now holds the record for the highest score in an ODI with his 264, and started off his Test career with huge amounts of success at home. Questions remain over how he can handle overseas conditions -- most of his meaningful innings to date have occurred in India. He's talented, but still has a long way to go before being a proven Test batsman in all conditions.
KL Rahul
The left-field selection for the tour, Rahul has left big names Sehwag and Gambhir back on the Subcontinent for this tour. He's made runs domestically and impressed all the right people, and performed admirably on tour against Australia A. He's unlikely to play if the warm-ups are taken as a guide, but keep an eye on him for the future. He may be a fixture next time India tour these shores.
Naman Ojha
Currently in an incredible vein of form, averaging something like 400 in the recent India A series against Australia, Ojha is a wicketkeeper batsman who has been around for quite some time. If he plays, expect it to be as a specialist batsman. His glovework leaves much to be desired in comparison to Dhoni and Wriddhiman Saha.
Wriddhiman Saha
Criminally underrated, in any other era Saha would be a lock in the Indian Test side. However, the presence of Dhoni ensures he's the perennial understudy. He can bat better than his Test record would suggest, and deserves to add to his tally of matches at the highest level. He's not renowned as a big hitter, but does have an IPL hundred on his stats sheet. Serious player.
Suresh Raina
Raina burst onto the scene as a prodigiously talented youngster and was the archetype of a new generation of Indian ODI players -- freeflowing batsman who scores quickly, brilliant in the field and capable of chipping in with the ball too. But he's never translated it to Test cricket, despite numerous opportunities. Here he gains one more chance, however his well-documented struggles with the short ball are likely to hold him back -- much as they did to Gambhir on the previous tour.
Ravindra Jadeja
Not quite a Test batsman, not quite a Test bowler. Despite three First Class triple centuries, Jadeja has yet to prove himself as worthy of a spot in the top 6 for India, nor as a bowler has he proven himself a genuine frontline option outside of the Subcontinent. However, he's valuable as a utility player -- the ultimate bits-and-pieces all-rounder, perhaps. Brilliant in the field, Sir Jadeja, as he is playfully known, is a luxury afforded by the batting ability of Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin's off spin is canny and delivered in a style built around the carrom ball, using his intelligence to outfox batsmen. However, on surfaces which don't assist him, this style of bowling can be rendered somewhat impotent. He's also a very good batsman for a specialist bowler, and his strength at #8 allows for Jadeja to play at 7. But if Ashwin's bowling proves ineffective once again, India's team balance requires a serious re-think. If you're a betting man, a sneaky $5 on Ashwin to top score is always likely to be value.
Karn Sharma
Uncapped at Test level and selected more on the basis of IPL form than any distinguishing feature from the myriad other Indian spinners, it's hard to imagine Karn's selection as much more that a case of the next best spinner that India hasn't yet tried. Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla have both been in the set-up in recent years as leg spinners, but neither set the world alight. Karn strikes me as the next cab off the rank.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
A smart operator who uses swing, seam and accuracy to his advantage rather than out-and-out pace. It's hard to see Australian conditions suiting his skiddier style of bowling, but he has a knack of finding a way to make important breakthroughs with the new ball irrespective of the pitch on offer.
Varun Aaron
Aaron is quick, and not much else. He's slowly developing his game, but at present he's very much reliant upon pace and pace alone. At Test level, he's yet to find much success -- pace alone doesn't earn you wickets at a higher level. He needs time to work on his game, but he bowled well in the warm-ups and arguably deserves to be selected. I wouldn't be backing him just yet, though.
Mohammad Shami
The next spoke on that great India Wheel of Fast Bowling Mediocrity, Shami, like Munaf Patel before him, began life as a sharp seamer who extracted enough movement to play as a genuine spearhead of the attack before fading in pace and ability to become a relatively ineffective third seamer at best. He might be able to turn it around, but Indian coaching staff do not have a particularly good track record at revitalising careers of fringe fast bowlers.
Umesh Yadav
The star of India's pace attack, but arguably the one rated least by Indian selectors. Yadav is quick, has movement, and was the only Indian seamer to come out of the last tour to Australia with his reputation enhanced. Should be the first fast bowler listed on the teamsheet. He does need to improve his accuracy somewhat, however, and he's not as smart a bowler as a Bhuvneshwar. Developing into a serious bowler though.
Ishant Sharma
Forever trading on the currency of that spell to Ricky Ponting in 2007/08, Ishant has never delivered on the potential glimpsed back when he was a gangly 19-year-old. Now a gangly 26-year-old, he's regressed through a combination of too much cricket, lack of game awareness, and technical deterioration. 2014 has been a good year for Ishant, however, and his performances are finally such that he does merit a place in the XI. It's still far too early to say whether or not he's turned the corner.
Half an hour. I reckon that's easily 3 times as good. Fox Sports, I'm willing to sell that to you for however much you paid that other bloke for his. Talk about value for money!
Of all the things to criticize him, you pick his ability to leave? Come now.
