If the selectors want another alternative, there is the seasoned Wasim Jaffer who has five Test tons in his career but lost his place in 2008 after the Kanpur game against South Africa.
He has scored heavily in domestic cricket and has now reverted to opening slot too for Mumbai and made an attractive 80 against the Rest of India attack here.
Sachin Tendulkar's lack of form has also hit the Indians hard and the five selectors, who watched him crack a glorious unbeaten 140 yesterday for Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai, must be happy that he seems to have rediscovered his once-glorious touch.
While Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli are certainties, there are quite a few claimants like Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary and Yuvraj Singh for some of the other middle-order spots.
Raina lost his place after an indifferent show in the two-match rubber that India swept against New Zealand at the beginning of this season and also notched up a stroke-filled century for Rest of India in the ongoing Irani game to bounce back into contention.
Rahane also scored an impressive 83 in the match for Mumbai, but the other three have done nothing much.
Rohit flopped and threw away his wicket in the match here while Yuvraj was not even picked for this game, after losing his place in the last Test against England at Nagpur to Ravindra Jadeja.
With Mahendra Singh Dhoni expected to be retained as the captain-cum-wicketkeeper, there is a vacancy for utility players and Jadeja is likely to retain his spot courtesy his good form in the limited overs matches.
Pace bowling is a big worry, with Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav carrying injuries and news reports appearing that Ishant Sharma's ankle is also causing him trouble. He has denied it but the selectors have to scratch their heads to come up with a good combination. More