Dinesh Karthik: all set to make his Test debut © AFP Enlarge

The Indian selectors have made four changes to the side that suffered a humiliating defeat in the third Test at Nagpur. They decided to give four uncapped players a chance, with Dinesh Karthik replacing Parthiv Patel as the wicketkeeper. Yuvraj Singh, Aakash Chopra and Ajit Agarkar were also dropped, and replaced by Gautam Gambhir, Dheeraj Jadhav and Shib Shankar Paul.

Announcing the squad, SK Nair, the secretary of the Indian board, said that Patel had been given enough opportunities: "Before the Nagpur Test, the committee thought he needed to be given another chance considering his previous record. However his performance didn't match the expectation of the selection committee and it was thought it would be ideal to find a new wicketkeeper."

Karthik has been the front-runner among the back-up keepers for a while now - he scored hundreds in the Ranji Trophy semi-final and final, and performed well in the Under-19 World Cup and the A tour of Zimbabwe. He was later included in the Indian one-day squad, and in his debut game he effected a superb stumping to dismiss Michael Vaughan in the NatWest Challenge match at Lord's. Nair added that MS Dhoni, the wicketkeeper from Bihar who played a few impressive knocks for India A in the one-dayers, was also considered.

Gambhir replaced Chopra, his Delhi team-mate, and will probably make his debut in the Test. Gambhir has been prolific in the domestic circuit and though he has played a few one-dayers, he hasn't got a chance in a Test yet. Jadhav, the left-hander who opens for Maharashtra, is the other option.

Nair also added that Irfan Pathan hadn't been included since medical reports revealed that it would be risky to play him in a Test so soon after his injury.

Indian squad for the Mumbai Test
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Dheeraj Jadhav, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly (capt), Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Murali Kartik, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Ashish Nehra, Shib Shankar Paul, Zaheer Khan.