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

#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.