On second notion I have to agree with Handscomb due to his ability against spin. Horses for courses.

Maxwells a major confidence player who also seems to get dropped within a few games. I fully expect him to dropped if not by the third t20 then in our next series. Give him the responsibility and back him for a few games and he delivers.

As for Hsad or Handscomb- they’ll go head but handscomb should be there. Much like I expect them to open with finch despite all evidence saying put him st 5

This is sounding like the squad according to the Tele.
Renshaw
Finch
Khawaja
Head/Labuchagne
S Marsh
M Marsh
Paine
Starc
Cummins
Lyon
Hazlewood.

I agree with Lehmann. Dont pick too may lefties if Ashwin plays.

Give that top 6 two tests to prove themselves. Then try one or two of the informers such as Harris, Doolan or Wade.

I do not understand how Labuchagne is a selection possible. He averages 32 in FC. 

He looked alright against Pakistan and had a decent inings against our first choice bowling attack. Either way i'd only select him for a Sydney test maybe where a 2nd spinner could be helpful.

Theyre saying the squad of 14: 
Possible Australia squad: Aaron Finch, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood (vc), Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh (vc), Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine (c,wk), Mitchell Starc, Chris Tremain, Peter Siddle.

Squad confirmed as posted above without Siddle. Im ropable with that. Harris has a FC of 35 and one 250*. Burns averages I think around 50 this year and Renshaw 46. Also means Finch will most likely open which is not the right decision. 

Hmmm. 

Watching Vic against Tas live, it was difficult to pick between Tremain, Boland and Siddle.

I think Tremain is yet another mediocre Aussie bowler who looks good  in the Shield, but will prove to be innocuous overseas.

As an opponent, Harris batted very well against Tas in the second innings. Most knowledgeable spectators and former Shield players thought Harris was a prospect for the  1st Test. He might have a long term low average, but is much better this season.

Doolan and Wade are much older than Harris too.

He did look good against Pakistan.

We need more spin in Aussie wickets so Labu can develop.

Agree. Labu was one of the few that carried the battle to the enemy in the UAE. Plus he scored a half ton against our Test attack. Yet he has been left out. Odd. 
Harris and Tremain fully deserve their elevation into a Baggy green cap. Their records speak for themselves. Tremain will only carry drinks but great experience for him. Sorry Harris replaces Renshaw but Langer said he wanted Shield runs from his top six and Renners simply has not delivered them. Handscomb is the luckiest player of the squad. He and Siddle. You could say tho that Handscomb is a horses for courses selection given his ability against spin. Head may also be seen as lucky but he was effective against the Pakistani spinners. But what of the others against spin? Even on Aussie decks Ashwin, Jadeja and any other Indian tweaker are a handful. 
This squad is for only the first two tests. So the fringe batsmen need to add some serious scores in the remaining Shield games before the team is picked for the last two Tests.

Australia's squad for first two Tests against India: Aaron Finch, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood (vc), Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh (vc), Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine (c, wk), Mitchell Starc, Chris Tremain, Peter Siddle.

When you said Langer wanted Shield runs from his top 6, Handscomb failed twice in Hobart last week.

I think Tremain is yet another mediocre Aussie bowler who looks good  in the Shield, but will prove to be innocuous overseas.

You are a hard marker DC. So being the leading Shield bowler makes him mediocre does it?  Hazlewood does not exactly kill em overseas either. They are similar bowlers. Would you call Hazey a mediocre bowler?

Reason I said he is in likely due to his ability against spin. I did say he was lucky..and he is. 

This is interesting coming from Justin Langer.

The Aussie coach believes the announcement of the extended 14-man First and Second Test squad was probably premature. He says it perhaps should have been after the next Shield game. 

"I would say let's just name it after the next Shield game, give the other guys who did miss out or the guys who are in a good chance, that'd be perfect, but it's a more complex world than it probably needs to be". And Alfie that is a fairly ambiguous statement:P

I am baffled why the selection of two reserve pacemen, Tremain and Siddle? 

I've seen too much cricket in Asia to know many Aussie pace bowlers struggle there, apart from our top class ones like Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood.

In the past McGrath, Gillespie and Kasprowicz have done well too. I'm thinking of the series we won under Pointing/Gilchrist. Or did Lee and Reiffel play in that one?

Perplexing?

It should be selected  after the next Shield game.

McGrath went ok in India but not so well in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. That seems to be the case with specialist seam bowlers on sub continental decks. Hazlewood has also under performed over there. Those quicks who mix up their deliveries such as Gillespie, Kasper and Starc usually find a way to take wickets.

Now looks like Head has been locked in for first two tests so the only available spot is between newbie Harris and Handscomb. Is CA aware they have chosen almost all leftie batsmen? For this reason alone Handscomb must play. What we have to avoid is having the three opening bats all lefties. I  dont want Finch opening so Handscomb goes to #3. Having said that.. is Finch a stone cold certainty to pad up?
My batting order:
Khawaja/Handscomb
Harris
Handscomb/Khawaja
Head
S Marsh 
M Marsh.
I havta say I see some brittleness in that middle order without the rocklike Steve Smith.  Smith's stats 2014/15:  769 r. 4 centuries @128.  How do you replace a phenomenon like that. Between he and Davey Warner we lose almost 1200 runs.

I am reading some disappointment from Pat Cummins comments re our Test attack being "rested" for the next Shield game. I can see where he is coming from. Cummo did not have the best outing last game. Looks short of a gallop to me.. as does Starc.  But CA in its eternal wisdom (haha) continues with its softly softly approach towards our bowlers.

The bowlers need some first class match conditioning, or they will run out of gas if they need to bowl long spells.

Looking at that batting line up, India look good to win the series.

I aint writing off our boys yet. We still have a world class bowling attack. Remember too India has a mental block going into the series knowing they have still to beat us at home from ..would you believe..11 previous attempts..in fact since 1947/48 when they won independence from Britain.

You could be right that India have  a mental block.

I'm scarred from watching all the test cricket we've played in Asia though!

So many of our batsmen have been inconsistent and rarely bat well together. I'm also a big fan of Renshaw, but it seems he is often out of form at the wrong time in recent home series. This guy can bat time under extreme pressure.  Renshaw also has a good defensive technique. He has done performed under extreme pressure in Asia at only 21 years of age.

I'm counting on the Marshes to fail as usual.

With the Kiwis winning in the UAE and the Poms two up against Sri Lanka, we have to the the worst team in Asia. Good luck to the Kiwis and Poms though. 

When I talk to other folk here, they are blissfully unaware  of how shit we are, because they don't watch us play like shit on TV in away series.

The only decent players we've had in away tests in recent years, have been Lyon, Cummins, Paine and Smith (until SA worked him out).

I think that a lot of this goes on.

England is still very very short on batsmen - England won in Asia thanks to its new spinner in Leech, and their allrounders (they played 4 of them in a 6 bowler heavy attack in Ali, Rashid, Curran and Stokes) and their new wicket-keeper batsman star in Foakes who chipped in with the runs. Root tonned up under pressure as well. England recognise that they have a massive batting crisis - there is noone to bat 3! They have tried Stokes, Ali - and now Bairstow (who is replacing Sam Curran due to injury). There will be 4 wicket keepers playing for England in the third test in Buttler, Bairstow, Foakes and Burns (who is a former keeper now focussing on opening batting).

England right now is a very ad hoc team full of bits and pieces players to scramble together enough runs who right now are getting the job done in closely fought contests. The selectors have really done very well to put this bunch together. They've actually looked at players like Buttler and Curran and said - well you're scoring more runs than the proper batsmen, so you stay in the team...Noone would ideally build a team in this manner. It has just happened.

Safrica is so bad in Asia that they played a seam attack in the last test there. I kid you not, they played Maharaj and pulled Shamsi out of the team. Got absolutely wrecked. Poor Steyn bowling onto that dust.

Zimbo pulled off a win in Bangladesh for a drawn series which is surprising tbf.

Have to admit it is not easy watching our blokes get hammered in Asia.. year after year. Hope for us yet if the Kiwis and Pommies are now winning over there.

Yes Renshaw is a puzzle. He was in my first test side. Renners seems to go missing in action when given an ultimatum. Such as Langer gave those vying for a Test batting spot. The nail in his coffin for this series was failing twice against our test attack.

So Oz is in a happy place compared to the Pommies. If this lot fails we have blokes in reserve knocking off hundreds in Shield cricket like a walk in the park.  Stokes experiment at #3 was obviously a disaster. Has he scored any meaningful runs of late? What is Curran's injury?

Side strain.

Poms have an opening batsman who excels in Asia in Jennings - but he completely sucks in England. Like hilariously awfully bad against swing. Burns seems to be solid with him.

1 Burns 2 Jennings 3 Bairstow 4 Root 5 Stokes 6 Buttler 7 Foakes+ 8 Curran 9 Broad/Woakes 10 Leech/Ali 11 Anderson

England players are under real incumbency pressure right now all the time. Bairstow was dropped from the last test. Curran was dropped earlier in the year after already starring in the series as a motm! Ali has been bowling sublime - but Leech may take his spot. Rashid looks to be gone after Asia due to Leech. Woakes scored a hundred versus India and must be breathing down Broad's neck when fit again for England. 

Basically anyone in the England team bar Anderson, Burns, Root and Foakes is droppable. Despite Leeach and Curran starring... Burns and Foakes have only been around 5 minutes, but they already have more incumbency now than Stokes, Ali, Bairstow, Broad...

This is not common in winning teams.. unless they're captained by Virat Kohli :P and England has been winning... A few ego's are going to be tested with this development... 

England before the last test tried to claim Stokes and Ali were batsmen and not allrounders, as Rashid and Curran were the allrounders. And Leach and Anderson the bowlers!  It is damn hilarious. I think these England selectors and coach are doing well though.