Australia vs India 2018-19: 3 members of India's Test squad who might not play a single match

India will take on Australia in a four-match Test series, the first of which will start on December 6th. The T20I series which preceded it was drawn, with both teams winning one game each and one match being abandoned due to rain.

The Indian bowlers had a good outing overall in the T20Is despite some expensive overs in the first game. Both Krunal Pandya and Khaleel Ahmed proved their mettle in the second and third T20Is, and justified the team's choice to back them.

KL Rahul, however, had yet another miserable series, scoring just 27 runs in 2 matches.

The players in the Test squad had been practicing while India were playing the T20 matches. They are now taking on Cricket Australia XI in a 4-day practice match which will be their only match play ahead of the first Test.

Here is India's squad for the Test series against Australia.

India's Test Squad: Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Parthiv Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Not all players in the squad are in great form though, and it will be interesting to see who will be in the Starting XI for the first Test.

Here are 3 players who might be benched for the whole series.

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#1 Parthiv Patel

Parthiv Patel was selected as the backup keeper option for India, replacing Dinesh Karthik who was in the squad for the tour of England. He has plenty of experience and is good behind the stumps, but is unlikely to get a chance to play.

Rishabh Pant wasn't in great form in the T20I series but will be the favorite to cement a spot behind the stumps. He has had a good time before this series, and is expected to fire up the batting in the middle order.

Pant has been Kohli's favorite so far behind the stumps, and will likely retain his place. Also, Parthiv prefers to open the batting and India already have three openers, so he might be benched for the entire tour of Australia despite earning a place in the squad.

#2 Umesh Yadav

Umesh Yadav

The pacer might not get to play a match in this series. Umesh is one of five fast bowlers in the Indian pace attack, of which Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are almost sure starters.

Both Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma have had better preparation and a longer run of games ahead of the Test series, so they are likely to get a nod too.

Umesh hasn't been in the best of form recently, and has been a bit erratic with his line and length. The fact that India will start as favorites this series will also make them want to choose their best bowlers and right now, Umesh is unlikely to feature in that list.

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#3 Murali Vijay

Though this is not guaranteed to happen, Murali Vijay could see himself benched due to a few factors.

The Indian opener from Tamil Nadu has one of the best records playing in Australia. Vijay has scored 482 runs in four matches Down Under, averaging 60.25.

He has the patience and resilience to survive in the hostile conditions. However, his recent records and India's promotion of KL Rahul and the young talent Prithvi Shaw might render Vijay without a place in the side.

He managed only 26 runs in 4 innings against England, and despite Rahul's repeated failures, the team seems eager to back him. And he might just end up firing in one of the games, which will cement his place.

With both Shaw and Rohit Sharma available as options to open the batting as well as Parthiv Patel, Vijay might end up getting the short straw and be benched for the entire series.