There were few surprises when the Indian squad for the four-Test series in Australia, starting on December 4 in Brisbane, was announced. Karnataka's batting machine KL Rahul and Railways leg-spinner Karn Sharma are part of the big squad totalling 19 players, winning their maiden call-ups for the longer format.
BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel later clarified that it is an 18-member squad plus the injured Ishant Sharma.
Rahul, 22, has been rewarded for his consistent show over the last couple of seasons while Karn's recent wicket-taking abilities and the variety he provides to the bowling attack have earned him the ticket for Australia.
The national selectors met in Mumbai on Monday to announce the Test squad for Australia and also for the last two ODIs against Sri Lanka.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has given the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka the miss, will miss the first Test against Australia starting in Brisbane on December 4 due to an injury to his right thumb. In his absence, captain-in-waiting Virat Kohli will lead the country for the first time in white flannels.
Dhoni will join the squad from the second Test and will take back the reins from there on.
There was no information on when Dhoni suffered the injury. He last played against the West Indies in Dharamsala before the Caribbeans called off the rest of their tour. In the subsequent team selection for the Sri Lanka ODIs, the BCCI had sent a mail with just the squad on October 21 with Kohli as captain and no mention of Dhoni, whether he was rested or injured.
In Dhoni's absence, Wriddhiman Saha will keep wickets while Naman Ojha will be his back-up only for the first Test. The Madhya Pradesh wicketkeeper-batsman will return home once Dhoni joins the squad for the second Test, said Sanjay Patel, BCCI secretary.
Also included in the 19-member squad is Ishant, who suffered a stiff back during the third ODI against Sri Lanka and had withdrawn after bowling only four overs. Patel clarified that Ishant will be with the team and not be available for selection.
"He is under physio's guidance and rehabilitation. He will travel with the team so that the physios can take care of him. He is is definitely going to travel with the team but is not part of the team as such. For training part and all, it has been decided that he should travel."
The squad also includes India's fastest bowler at the moment, Varun Aaron. The Jharkhand pacer was injured during the first ODI against Sri Lanka and though there has not been any intimation from the BCCI about his status, it is presumed that he will recover well in time for the tour, if not already fit.
Also included in the squad is Suresh Raina, who played the last of his 17 Tests in September 2012. It remains to be seen if Raina will straightaway find his way into the Test squad as it is already packed. Raina may have been included in the Test squad on the basis of his glorious one-day run in recent times. Even if the think-tank find it tough to accommodate him in the Test XI, he could use his time in Australia to get used to the conditions and be prepared when the limited-overs follow the Tests and culminate in the World Cup.
Test Squad: MS Dhoni (C), Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Karn Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Md Shami, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma
Note
1. Kohli will lead India in the first Test starting on December 4 in Brisbane as Dhoni has been rested as a precautionary measure to help him recover from a thumb injury. Dhoni will join the team for the second Test (Adelaide, Dec 12-16) and will lead the team from there.
2. Naman Ojha will travel with the team as a back-up for Wriddhiman Saha only for the first Test and will return once Dhoni joins the squad.
3. Ishant Sharma will travel with the team to be monitored constantly by the physio for his rehab. He sustained stiff back during the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad on November 9.
Test schedule
1st Test: December 4-8 in Brisbane
2nd Test: December 12-16 in Adelaide
3rd Test: December 26-30 in Melbourne
4th Test: January 3-7 in Sydney
(Note: India play two 2-day practice games against CA Invitation XI in Adelaide on November 24-25 and November 28-29)
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