India Test squad named for Australia tour

NEW DELHI: Young fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun was on Tuesday selected to replace the injured Praveen Kumar for the four-Test series in Australia starting later this month.

Mithun, 22, who has taken nine wickets in four Tests, was named in the 17-man squad after Kumar was sidelined with a fractured rib, the Indian cricket board said in a statement.

The squad will leave for Australia in two batches with seven players -- Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav and Wriddhiman Saha -- flying out on Thursday.

The remaining players, including skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, will leave on December 12 after the conclusion of the ongoing one-day series against the West Indies.

India open the three-month tour on December 15, with two practice matches in Canberra ahead of the first Test starting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26.

The remaining Tests will be played in Sydney, Perth and Adelaide.

The Tests will be followed by two Twenty20 internationals, before Sri Lanka join in for a one-day tri-series from February 5.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Irfan Pathan was recalled after nearly three years for India's last two one-dayers against the West Indies in Indore on Thursday and Chennai on Sunday.

Pathan, 27, who played the last of his 107 one-day internationals in Sri Lanka in February 2009, forced his way back after claiming 21 wickets in three first-class matches for Baroda this season.

Pathan replaces Australia-bound Yadav, with India leading 2-1 in the five-match series.

India's Test squad for Australia:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag (vice-capt), Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Abhimanyu Mithun.

India's squad for last two one-dayers against the West Indies:
Virender Sehwag (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel, Rohit Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Abhimanyu Mithun, Varun Aaron, Ravichandran Ashwin, Manoj Tiwary, Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Sharma. (AFP)