Bhuvneshwar to miss third Test

NEW DELHI: The Indian ODI team has struggled to find a settled middle order post the 2015 World Cup. Having lost the last two ODI series, against South Africa at home and in Australia, the Indian selectors will have some brainstorming to do to find the right batting lineup when they sit to pick the squad for the home series against New Zealand.With Shikhar Dhawan suffering a broken thumb and KL Rahul recovering from a hamstring, the new selection panel, which has already copped criticism for its lack of experience in international cricket, will have to find an opener to partner Rohit Sharma in case of any eventuality. While Dhawan is almost certain to miss out on the ODI series, Rahul is also doubtful. The first ODI is on October 16 in Dharamsala.The selectors don't have many options in this regard. According to sources close to the MSK Prasad-led selection panel, Mandeep Singh from Punjab could be a frontrunner for the job. “If you look at the batsmen who toured Zimbabwe and Australia with the India A team - Mandeep is the only one who has performed. Others, including Robin Uthappa , Karun Nair and Faiz Fazal have not scored runs,” the source told TOI on Wednesday.The previous selection committee, led by Sandip Patil, invested heavily in Nair and Mayank Agarwal. Agrawal has been among the runs in the recent Duleep Trophy and has been scoring consistently for India A over the past one year. Nair has broken into the Test squad but struggled to get going in two ODIs in Zimbabwe before failing in Australia playing for the India 'A'. “It could be a toss-up between Agarwal and Mandeep. Nair could also sneak in. Unmukt Chand was touted as the next opener but his Ranji performances have gone down,” said the source.Suresh Raina had lost his place in the ODI team since January before being axed from the T20 side too. He is unlikely to get his blue shirt back as Manish Pandey is certain to retain his slot in MS Dhoni 's team. The bowling unit is likely to wear a familiar look with R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja leading the spin attack. While the pace attack is likely to spearheaded by Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jaspreet Bumrah, it will be interesting to see if the selectors opt for the seam-bowling allrounder in Stuart Binny or an extra spinner.Test Bhuvneshwar Kumar Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been ruled out of the third Test of the ongoing Test series against New Zealand after he sustained a back strain in the second Test at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur has been brought in as his replacement.Bhuvneshwar picked up 5/48 in the first innings of the second Test.