OZ selectors announce new look team to India

MELBOURNE (Agencies) - The Australian selectors on Friday announced a 15-member squad for the forthcoming tour of India.
Ricky Ponting, who was said to be doubtful following the surgery on his wrists, has recovered and is back at the helm of affairs. So is Matthew Hayden, who abandoned the tour of Caribbean and the one-day series against Bangladesh, owing to an achilles-tendon injury.
The selectors have drafted in four new faces into the team; Bryce McGain and Jason Krejza - the two specialist spinners are with the Australian squad for the first time, while fast bowlers Peter Siddle and Douglas Bowler too stand a chance to win their first Test caps.
Commenting on the selection of the team, Cricket Australia's chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said, "The tour of India is an icon series for the Australian team and the selection process has been a highly detailed exercise. A lot of planning has gone in to how we want to play against the Indian team and how we go about that in Indian conditions."
He further expressed disappointment that the two three-day matches in India against India A, which were to serve as selection matches to fill the vacant positions in the team, didn't deliver any results as most of the two matches were lost to rain. He said, "It was disappointing that most play in the two three-day games of the Australia A Tour of India was affected by rain and as a result, we have decided to take a 15-man squad. Given the mass of cricket that will be played and now the extra time in training prior to the series beginning, we felt having a squad of 15 would be beneficial for additional player preparation."