India have named their youngest Test debutant in more than a decade, announcing that highly-rated 18-year-old Prithvi Shaw will play against the West Indies this week.

Shaw will open alongside KL Rahul after Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan, who opened for India in the recent five-Test series in England, were dropped following modest returns in that 4-1 defeat.

Rahul scored 149 in the final match of that series to avoid the axe and he will be partnered at the top of the order by Shaw, who at the age of 18 and 329 days will become India's youngest Test debutant since Ishant Sharma in 2007.

Shaw has long been pegged for a career at the top level and has earned multiple comparisons with Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar.

He scored 188 against West Indies A in England in July, his sixth first-class century from just 12 matches, and added a score of 136 against South Africa A last month. He averages 56.72 from 14 first-class matches overall

He captained India to the Under-19 World Cup title earlier this year and was also their leading run-scorer, but it's the way he scores his runs as much as his ability to post big scores that has earned him comparisons to the legendary Tendulkar.

"The first thing you notice is his technique, it's very similar to Sachin Tendulkar," former Australia batsman Mark Waugh said earlier this year.

"His grip, his stance, he stays very still at the crease and plays all his shots around the wicket. He plays the ball quite late and is quite punchy in his stroke play and has an excellent base to play any shot from any bowler.

"He's just so much like Sachin Tendulkar."

Comparisons have already been made between Prithvi Shaw and Sachin TendulkarComparisons have already been made between Prithvi Shaw and Sachin Tendulkar

Shaw also broke through for his maiden List A centuries this year; he scored 132 in a tour match against English county side Leicestershire in June before notching 102 against West Indies A a week later and posting 129 in a domestic game for Mumbai just two weeks ago.

Stung by defeat in England and heading to Australia for a tough tour next month, India are looking for some confidence-boosting home victories against the struggling Windies.

But Virat Kohli's may not find it so easy, with series defeats this year in England and South Africa revealing some serious chinks in their armour, at least away from home.

Despite losing all-rounder Hardik Pandya and pace bowler Sharma to injury, the hosts have opted to rest pace duo Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the series.

The pace attack will instead be led by Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav and possibly another debutant in Shardul Thakur, who will play ahead of wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav if conditions call for a third seamer. Spin stars Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja complete the 12-man squad that India announced on Wednesday.

The Jason Holder-led West Indies are arriving off the back of a successful home season where they drew a Test series against Sri Lanka and then thrashed Bangladesh 2-0.

The first Test begins in Rajkot on Thursday.