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India's selection puzzles: Who will be the two openers, and will three quicks play or three spinners?

Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara batted through the middle session on day four for 49 runs AFP/Getty Images

India's bench strength in Test cricket will be on display again as they start the home series without Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. It opens up various combinations for the first Test against New Zealand, beginning on Thursday. Here, you can have your say on these selection questions.

Openers
KL Rahul got around to opening with Rohit in England because of an injury to Mayank Agarwal, who was expected to open because of an injury to Shubman Gill.

While 24 of his 34 non-Test first-class innings have come at the top of the order, Indian cricket is understood to look at a middle-order slot as Gill's eventual long-term station. Similarly, Rahul has not opened in only six of his non-Test first-class innings, but before the unfortunate Agarwal injury, India were looking at Rahul as a middle-order cover, which could also give him a shot at reviving his Test career.

Now India have to decide whom they ask to open and whom they give a run in the middle order to. Or do they pair them together at the top and make Agarwal wait for his comeback?

Middle order
Ajinkya Rahane, who might have otherwise been under pressure to keep his place, is the captain in Kohli's absence, so that settles one of the slots. Cheteshwar Pujara might not have done enough in England to move the spotlight elsewhere, but India's third-highest run-getter in England should be a favourite to be India's No. 3 in Kanpur. However, Pujara does have that ordinary home series against England, where he averaged just 22, to correct.

In normal circumstances, India would have slotted either Gill or Rahul - whoever is not opening - as the third middle-order batter and be done with it, but the absence of Pant might make them question if they need a sixth batter. That said, India under Kohli and Ravi Shastri were comfortable with just the five specialist batters even when the wicketkeeper was not Pant.

If India do buck that trend and play a sixth batter, though, one man will feel hard done by: Hanuma Vihari, who has been sent to South Africa for the 'A' tour presumably because India don't need a sixth batter at home.

Wicketkeeper
Wriddhiman Saha is the regular No. 2 to Pant, and KS Bharat the one whom the previous selectors earmarked for the future by giving him 'A' tours. Saha is 37, Bharat 28. Saha averages 48 in non-Test first-class cricket, Bharat 37.

Fast bowlers
R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are locked in as India's two main spinners. Provided everyone is fit and India play two fast bowlers, it comes down to one of these three missing out: Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj.

The 11th player
He could be a sixth batter, a third spinner or a third quick. It is likeliest to be Axar Patel as the third spinner, but that is a call perhaps to made looking at the conditions.