Sourav Ganguly will go through an anxious night as the national selectors meet on Thursday to pick the Indian squad for the first Test against England, starting in Nagpur on March 1.
Ganguly, who has been in and out of the team since his infamous spat with coach Greg Chappell last year, is in contention for a berth in the middle-order, which has been thrown wide open following the injury to Yuvraj Singh.
The former captain was in the team in two of three Tests during the recent series against Pakistan, but with the selectors deciding to revert to specialist opening batsmen, it remains to be seen whether the stylist left-hander makes it to the squad.
Chairman of Selection Committee Kiran More said captain Rahul Dravid would be relieved of the opener's responsibility that he had taken on in Pakistan and regular openers would be given the job.
"We have decided to hand over the job back to the specialists," More said.
The former India wicketkeeper, however, refused to reveal further details about the combination that would be fielded in Nagpur.
{{/usCountry}}The former India wicketkeeper, however, refused to reveal further details about the combination that would be fielded in Nagpur.
{{/usCountry}}"We have some ideas in mind. You will come to know tomorrow when the squad is announced," he said.
The question then would be who would open with Virender Sehwag, who was declared fit after having recovered from a shoulder strain he suffered while batting in the Rawalpindi one-dayer against Pakistan.
However, indications are that the Mumbai batsman could sneak into the playing eleven ahead of his Delhi colleague who, given the lack of runs in recent times playing for India, would need to score heavily in the three-day tie against England at the IPCL grounds here starting on Thursday to tilt the scales back in his favour.
The biggest issue is of course who would fill in the middle-order slot left vacant by Yuvraj.
Ganguly has reasons to believe his position in the final eleven had been strengthened in the absence of Yuvraj with whom he had been in direct contention for the slot.
But it would not be a surprise if Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina win the race ahead of him.
If it is athleticism that stands in favour of the two youngsters who were part of the Ranji Trophy winning Uttar Pradeshi team this season, it is sheer talent that might force the selectors to fast-track the younger of the two.
Raina is seen as a precocious talent and could get a look in ahead of Kaif, although it would be a misfortune to befall the latter.
Another surprise could come in the spin department with Piyush Chawla, another Uttar Pradesh player, being given a chance to show his wares at the senior level.
In Chawla's case, it is his ability with the bat combined with his leg spin prowess that could clinch the issue.
That the selectors had the teenager as a part of the Indian dressing room in the past should be an indication on their views on the player. And his performance with the bat in the ICC Under-19 World Cup final could be an immediate trigger for his promotion.
Should Chawla be capped in the coming series, it could not be at the expense of either Anil Kumble or Harbhajan Singh, which in turn means the thinktank is looking at three spinners. It might not be a bad ploy, considering the English batsmen's allergy to spinners.
That the visitors have been rolled out bouncy tracks in both the warm-up matches could well be part of a grand plan to not let them get accustomed to the real Test conditions and also to conceal a few weapons in the armoury.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's wicketkeeping slot should be considered sealed now, particularly after his exploits in Pakistan.
That would leave only the fast bowling line up to be debated.
Here again, changes could be expected from the squad that toured Pakistan, not purely based on performance but on tactics.
The defeat in Karachi seems to have reinforced the opinion that it would not be wise to have three-left arm seamers with little difference in terms of speed among them.
With Rudra Pratap Singh impressing with his nip off the seam, Zaheer Khan could get the chop. It, however, would be a keen fight between Ajit Agarkar and the fast improving S Sreesanth.