Rohit Sharma and Hanuma Vihari will battle for a place in the Indian team for the first Test.
The Indian team management is expected to choose between specialist batsman Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Hanuma Vihari for the series opener Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, which begins on Thursday, December 6.
Sharma and Vihari were named in a 12-man roster released by the Indian board on Wednesday. A surprise omission from the dozen is left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
Rohit played the last of his 25 Tests against South Africa in January, but has experience in Australian conditions, having toured with the side in 2014-2015.
Spinning all-rounder Vihari made his debut against England at the Oval in September, scoring 56 in the first innings and taking 3/37 with the ball in the second.
The selectors have opted for Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah in a strong pace attack for the Adelaide Oval, as Virat Kohli's side bids to become the first Indian team to claim a series win Down Under.
Top order batsman Murali Vijay, who was dropped following the second Test against England at Lord's in August, was also included in the 12.
Vijay will partner Lokesh Rahul at the top of the order, with teenage opener Prithvi Shaw ruled out from the Test with an ankle injury.
Australia Captain Tim Paine confirmed that fast bowling all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been omitted and the hosts will go into the match with six specialist batsmen.
With scorching heat forecast for Thursday, Kohli said Hardik Pandya's absence would be a blow, but he backed his quicks to pick up the extra burden.
"It obviously has an impact ... Every side would like to have a fast-bowling all-rounder," he told reporters at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.
"Again, the workload on the guys will play (a part) in the absence of the all-rounder ... but that's something that's already been discussed and they should look forward, not think of it as a burden or think things are tough."
Team: Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah.
