India won the toss and elected to bat against Victoria in their rain-delayed three-day practice match at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Thursday.
The Indians decided to rest regular skipper Anil Kumble in their only warm-up match ahead of the four-Test series against Australia, starting on December 26 at Melbourne.
Vice-captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead the side in Kumble's absence. Virender Sehwag was also left out, while rookie pacer Pankaj Singh was drafted into the playing XI.
Meanwhile, Victoria is also without their regular skipper Brad Hodge, who is nursing a back problem. David Hussey will captain the side in place of Hodge.
Teams:
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain & w/k), Wasim Jaffer, Rahul Dravid, V V S Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, RP Singh, Ishant Sharma, Pankaj Singh.
Victoria: David Hussey (captain), Nick Jewell, Rob Quiney, Aiden Blizzard, Aaron Finch, Andrew McDonald, Matthew Wade (w/k), John Hastings, Peter Siddle, Bryce McGain, Allan Wise.
