Published: Nov 10, 2014, 03:23 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 10, 2014, 05:14 PM (IST)
Nov 10, 2014
India on Monday announced their squad for the four-match Test series in Australia starting December 4, naming KL Rahul, one-day specialist Suresh Raina and Naman Ojha.
India will tour Australia to play four Tests. The first Test starts on December 4, 2014 at the Wollongabba in Brisbane. The last Test starting on the January 3, 2015 will be played at Sydney. The last time India toured Australia they were whitewashed four nil and failed to reach the final of the tri-series that preceded the Tests.
The Wollongabba apart the venues for the other three remaining Tests are Adelaide Oval, Melbourne Cricket Ground and Sydney Cicket Ground. Australia go in as favourites despite the fact that they were trounced two nil in the United Arab Emirates by Pakistan.
The loss to Pakistan apart Michael Clarke’s side has been in very good form. In the 2013-14 Ashes they hammered England five nil and then proceeded to beat South Africa on an away tour. India on the other hand have not won a Test away from home since 2011 against the West Indies. Thereafter their performance abroad has been terrible. They recently lost three to one in England in a Test series.
Before the England loss they were trumped in New Zealand and before in a two –Test series in South Africa. MS Dhoni’s men would be hoping to change all in the series against Australia. A triangular One-Day series involving Australia, India and England will be played after the four Tests. Thereafter the ICC World Cup 2015 will take place.
India squad for Australia tour 2014-15
Mahendra Singh 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, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron.
