India recalled fragile pace spearhead Zaheer Khan Saturday for the Australia tour pending a fitness test, but continued to ignore seasoned spinner Harbhajan Singh. Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead the 17-man squad with Virender Sehwag as his deputy for the four-Test series starting next month, the Indian cricket board said in a media release. Injury-prone Zaheer must prove his fitness in two first-class games for Mumbai before his selection is confirmed. Harbhajan, whose 406 wickets in 98 Tests make him the most successful international bowler still playing at the top level, has been out of favor since the dismal tour of England. India opens the three-month tour on Dec. 15 with two practice matches in Canberra ahead of the first Test starting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Dec. 26. The remaining Tests will be played in Sydney, Perth and Adelaide. This will be followed by two Twenty20 internationals, before Sri Lanka join in for a one-day tri-series from Feb. 5. Test squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag (vice captain), Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Praveen Kumar. Coach: Duncan Fletcher. Tendulkar, Dhoni rested India's selectors Friday named opener Virender Sehwag to lead the side in an upcoming home one-day series against West Indies after deciding to rest regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Tendulkar has also been rested for the three games, while Dhoni has been rested for the entire series. World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh has been ruled out after telling selectors he is “not fully fit.”
