Zaheer chosen for Australia subject to proving his match fitness

The India selectors on Saturday named a 17-man squad to tour Australia for the Test series starting on 26 December in Melbourne.

There are no major surprises, except the fact that senior paceman Zaheer Khan has been named in the squad.

"Zaheer Khan will join the team subject to proving his match fitness,'' BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a statement.

Zaheer has been on the injured list since the England tour and will play two Ranji Trophy matches to prove his fitness for the four-match Test series.

The rest of the squad is the one which has done duty in the Test series against West Indies.

Two players - reserve seamer Praveen Kumar and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha - have been added to the squad.

Squad: MS Dhoni (captain & wk), Virender Sehwag (Vice-captain), Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Rohit Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha (wk)