Having missed out on the last ODI series in Sri Lanka with Sachin Tendulkar is likely to return for the seven-ODI series against England starting November 14 in Rajkot. His availability will be one of the key issues of discussion when the selectors meet in Nagpur on Wednesday to announce the squad for the first three one-dayers.

Tendulkar had last featured in an ODI during the CB Series in Australia. A groin injury picked up during the tournament kept him away from the Kitply Cup held in Dhaka and the Asia Cup in Pakistan that followed.

"We haven't heard anything from him yet so we expect him to play," one of the selectors told Cricinfo. This will also be the first time the selectors, headed by Kris Srikkanth, will be appointing an ODI squad; they had picked the Test squad to face Australia.

From the squad that featured in Sri Lanka, Irfan Pathan is likely to be dropped given his lean form this season. As an allrounder, he doesn't have a strong case, scoring 105 at 17 in his last seven innings and picking up 10 wickets at almost 47 in the nine games he has played since the Kitply Cup. Though he was the third-highest wicket-taker in the Challenger Trophy, the selectors will be hard-pressed to pick him unless captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni supports his case.

S Badrinath, who was Tendulkar's replacement in Sri Lanka, is expected to retain his place in the squad. While Tendulkar is likely to partner Gautam Gambhir at the top, the others to follow include Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Dhoni and Virender Sehwag (not necessarily in that order) which leaves a place for another batsman.

Virat Kohli, who played in Sri Lanka, is expected to fill that slot, over Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan. Kohli proved his mettle when he adapted well as an opener in Sri Lanka and has impressed both Dhoni and the new selection committee.

Though Uthappa has been in solid form since the start of this season he might have to show a bit more patience. He was dropped after scoring 37 in three games during the Asia Cup but topped the run charts in the Challenger Trophy and followed that with a century on his first day as Karnataka captain in the Ranji Trophy against Railways.

In the bowling department, the selectors may rest either Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma considering the packed international calendar. Ishant was rested from the ODIs in Sri Lanka after he picked up an injury during the third Test. Munaf Patel will be the third seamer and Praveen Kumar's ability to swing on the Indian pitches might help him retain his position in the squad. RP Singh, who played in Sri Lanka, is likely to be left out after his disappointing figures in the last three series - 11 wickets at 30 .

Amit Mishra is favoured over Pragyan Ojha to be Harbhajan Singh's support act. The selectors' confidence might come from Mishra's decent outing during the IPL for Delhi Daredevils and, of course, his form in the current Test series.