KL Rahul earns maiden call-up, Raina back in India Test squad

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Suresh Raina last featured in a Test match more than two years ago against New Zealand.

KL Rahul and Karn Sharma were the two new faces in India's Test squad, while Suresh Raina and Umesh Yadav were recalled as the selectors named a 19-member squad for the tour of Australia next month. There was no place for Stuart Binny, Gautam Gambhir, Pankaj Singh and Ishwar Pandey, who were part of the tour of England in July-August.

Following the failed experiment with Gautam Gambhir in England this past summer, the selectors decided to lock in Karnataka batsman Rahul, 22, as the third opener after a prolific season with the bat, exemplified by his twin centuries for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy final played at the Feroz Shah Kotla recently. There was a case for a surprise call-up for Virender Sehwag in some closed circles, as well as Rahul's Karnataka's teammate Robin Uthappa, but the selectors chose to go with the younger option.

Rahul's excellent form has continued from last year's Ranji Trophy season, where he finished as the second-highest run-getter with 1033 runs at an average of 68.86, and was also a part of India A's tour of Australia earlier this year, where he performed reasonably well.

India's other concern during their 1-3 Test series defeat in England was the uncertainty of the No. 6 spot, where Rohit Sharma and Binny were both tried. While Binny was left out of the squad, Raina, who last played a Test match more than two years ago, was recalled following his superb run of form in the shorter formats, and his vast experience of having played in overseas conditions. Rohit, who played a solitary Test during the tour of England, was retained after recovering from a shoulder injury.

With the BCCI confirming that captain MS Dhoni would miss the first Test at Brisbane starting on December 4 owing to an injury in his right thumb, the selectors named two wicketkeeper-batsmen as back-up options, while announcing Virat Kohli as stand-in captain. Wriddhiman Saha and Naman Ojha, who were both part of the England touring party - the latter was flown in after Saha injured himself - were named in the squad. Ojha's selection follows his sizzling form for India A on the tour of Australia, where he had scored a double hundred and two centuries, and followed it up with a double century for Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final.

In the bowling department, Umesh Yadav returned to the squad after showing impressive form in the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka, making up a five-member pace bowling attack, but there was no place for England returnees Pankaj Singh and Ishwar Pandey. Pandey was part of the India's last two Test tours to England as well as New Zealand, but was excluded without earning a Test cap. Pankaj was left out after cutting a poor figure in the two Tests he played against England, and was ignored despite performing well in the Duleep Trophy final.

The selectors also decided to pick a third spinner - legspinner Karn Sharma - to add variety to India's bowling attack. Railways spinner Sharma, 26, impressed during India's warm-up game against the touring Sri Lankans, and was named ahead of the likes of Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha.

India squad for Australia tour: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Naman Ojha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Karn Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron

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