After a series of poor performances, Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay were not picked in India’s squad for the Test series against the West Indies, starting next week. Instead, in-form Mayank Agarwal, and Prithvi Shaw were given a chance. Does it signal the end of the road for Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay in India’s scheme of things for Test cricket?

Shikhar Dhawan had a prolific Asia Cup 2018 tournament where he emerged as the leading scorer with 342 runs against his name. However, his failure to continue the white-ball form in the red-ball format has been a cause of worry for the Indian team management.

In the recently concluded Test series in England, Shikhar Dhawan could manage to score only 162 runs in 8 innings that he played, with an average of mere 20.25. Dhawan’s temperament and his uncanny habit of poking the ball outside the stump-line were some of the prime reasons for his undoing on a tough tour in England.

His partner, Murali Vijay met a similar fate. Vijay had remodelled his game and was India’s first choice opener in Test cricket since 2013. However, his inconsistent performances overseas in the last 12 months hasn’t been impressive.

Murali Vijay was even dropped for the last two Test matches against England. Though, he did try to prove himself with a near-successful county stint with Sussex, where he had scores of 56, 200, 85, 80, and 2, he couldn’t impress the selectors.

Dropping Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, the Indian think-tank has strongly put out a message that, no matter how big a player is, performance and merit are the only parameters that will give you a space in the Indian dressing room.

Their possible substitutes, Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw, who are tipped to debut against West Indies in the series starting next week, had a great domestic season (2017-18) last year!

Mayank Agarwal scored over 2,253 runs in 36 innings that he played across different formats. Mayank also scored 90 runs against West Indies in their warm-up game; it was enough reminder to the selectors about his current form.

Prithvi Shaw was picked in the Indian squad for the last two Test matches against England, alongside Hanmua Vihari. He was in line for a Test debut there and then, but had to sit out as Shikhar Dhawan was given another chance.

The upcoming two-match series against West Indies serves an excellent opportunity for Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw to impress the selectors further and increase their chances to feature in India’s squad for the tour in Australia, later this year. West Indies Tour of India 2018 Schedule: Windies to Play 2 Tests, 5 ODIs and 3 T20I, Check Complete Time-Table.

India's Test Squad Against West Indies: Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur.

As for Shikhar Dhawan, and Murali Vijay, all is not lost for the duo. It will be tough for the selectors to overlook the two as India would look for some experience in the top order as they play against Australia. However, one really can’t say if it is going to happen. India vs Australia 2018-19 Schedule PDF Download in IST: List of T20Is, Tests & ODI Matches; Full Fixtures with Match Timings of IND vs AUS Series Down Under.

For now, it is Mayank Agarwal, Prithwi Shaw, and KL Rahul that the Indian team management has reposed their faith in. If the trio succeeds against West Indies at home, and strengthen their chances for selection for the Tour Down Under, one question that will still ring the mind will be – is this the end of the road for Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay in Test cricket?

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2018 03:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).