India Down Under: Players in the drama

8226; 142 Tests, including 21 vs Australia. Debut: vs Pakistan in Karachi, 1989-90. Led India in 25 Tests, won four, lost 9 and drew 12. Touring Australia for the fourth time.

Note: Tendulkar, too, is possibly on his last tour of Australia. His form is perfect, except some nervous nineties, and with a legendary reputation like this preceding him, it would be anybody8217;s guess how this series will pan out for him. He has little to prove, but is always around as confidence-booster.

RAHUL DRAVID Karnataka

8226; Born: January 11,1973, Indore. Right hand middle order bat, off-break bowler, occasional keeper.

8226; 115 Tests, including 19 vs Australia. Debut: vs England, Lord8217;s, 1996. Led India in 17 Tests, won five, lost four, drew eight. Touring Australia for the third time. .

Note: A rediscovery tour for the ex-skipper, of form and confidence. Also to be seen again in the opening avatar, with Wasim Jaffer.

HARBHAJAN SINGH Punjab

8226; Born: July 3,1980, Jalandhar. Right arm off-break bowler

8226; 60 Tests, including 8 vs Australia. Debut: vs Australia in Bangalore, 1997-98. Touring Australia for the second time

Note: Will remain the second spinner, with skipper Kumble around. Australian wickets are not expected to be kind to him, but the web he wove back in India will not be forgotten. He could make this memorable.

MS DHONI Jharkhand

8226; Born: July 7,1981, Ranchi. Right hand middle order bat, right arm medium pace bowler, plus wicket-keeper.

8226; 22 Tests, Debut: vs Sri Lanka, Chennai, 2005-06. Never played a Test vs Australia. Touring Australia for first time

Note: India8217;s one-day skipper is on the waiting list, learning the tricks of the hot seat trade. This tour will be a long lesson.

ANIL KUMBLE Karnataka-Captain

8226; Born: October 17,1970, Bangalore. Right hand tail-end bat, right-arm leg break googly bowler..

8226; 121 Tests, including 14 against Australia. Debut: vs England, Manchester, 1990. Led India in three Test matches, won one and drew two. Touring Australia for third time. Third highest Test wicket-taker in world: 584

Note: Special tour for the skipper, and the Indian squad, especially for a host of stalwarts for who this should be the last Australia trip.

VVS LAXMAN Hyderabad

8226; Born: November 1,1974, Hyderabad. Right hand middle order bat, off break bowler

8226; 50 Tests, including 16 vs Australia. Debut: vs South Africa in Ahmedabad, 1996-97. Touring Australia for the third time

Note: The class of this batsman is beyond doubt. He has been in the wilderness for long, excellent record versus the Aussies.

DINESH KAARTHICK Tamil Nadu

8226; Born: June 1,1985, Chennai. Right hand bat, wicket-keeper

8226; 19 Tests, including one vs Australia. Debut: vs Australia in Mumbai, 2004-05. Touring Australia for the first time

Note: His has been a in-and-out affair, with batting form not always following his wicketkeeping finesse. With MS Dhoni around he would have had little chance, but the selectors have kept faith in him

PANKAJ SINGH Rajasthan

8226; Born: May 6,1985, Sultanpur. Right hand lower order bat, right arm fast medium pace bowler.

8226; Yet to play a Test

Note: Was a surprise inculsion, but considering the pace leaning of the selectors, and with Sreesanth and Munaf unfit, his inclusion could turn out to be a boon.

SOURAV GANGULY Bengal

8226; Born: July 8,1972, Kolkata. Left hand opening/middle order bat, right arm medium pace/ off break bowler

8226; 99 Tests, including 16 against Australia. Debut: vs England, Lord8217;s, 1996. Captained India in 49 Tests, Touring Australia for the third time

Note: This is a special tour for Ganguly. His last tour in 2003-04 was a superbly successful one. Back to peak form, he will be wanting to make this a memorable trip

Yuvraj SinghPunjab

8226; Born: December 12,1981, Chandigarh. Left hand middle order bat, left arm slow bowler

8226; 20 Tests, including two vs Australia. Debut: vs New Zealand in Mohali, 2003-04. Touring Australia for the first time

Note: The one-day, six-hitting genius almost missed out on this series, and then on this first Test as well. But finally it has dawned on the selectors that a man in peak form is a man in peak form. Yuvraj surely deserves his rightful place in the Test squad.

ZAHEER KHAN Baroda

8226; Born: October 7,1978, Ahmednagar. Right hand tail end bat, left arm medium pace bowler

8226; 52 Tests, including eight vs Australia. Debut: vs Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2000-01. Touring Australia for the second time

Note: For quite some time now he has stayed India8217;s real pace spearhead. The pressure is building on him, as a wobbly ankle would tell, but India have not been able to really allow him the due rest. This is a critical series for him.

IRFAN PATHAN Baroda

8226; Born: October 27,1984, Baroda. Left hand lower order bat, left arm medium pace bowler

8226; 26 Tests, including four vs Australia. Debut: vs Australia in Adelaide in 2003-04. Touring Australia for the second time

Note: In the Greg Chappell era, he was even a No 3 bat in ODIs. Though it was meant to be a surprise element, he made the best use of the top position to accumulate enough runs, but suddenly his form dipped and was out in the wilderness. He is returning to form now, mainly with the ball. Wait and watch.

WASIM JAFFER Mumbai

8226; Born: February 16, 1978, Mumbai. Right hand opening bat.

8226; 25 Tests, Debut: vs South Africa in, 1999-2000. Never played in a Test vs Australia.

Note: His opening slot was up for grabs for a while, till he scored heavily in the recent Pakistan series to seal that for himself. With Rahul Dravid most likely his partner, we may see strong starts.

RP SINGH Uttar Pradesh

8226; Born: December 6,1985. Right hand tail end bat, left arm medium pace bowler

8226; 7 Tests, Debut: vs Pakistan in Faisalabad, 2005-06. Never played a Test vs Australia.

Note: One of the most improved and consistent Indian bowlers today. He has a fine temperament and maintains line and length, attributes that could make him an asset Down Under. Very crucial to team, with talent in short supply.

VIRENDER SEHWAG Delhi

8226; Born: October 20,1978, Delhi. Right hand opening/middle order bat, off-break bowler.

8226; 52 Tests, including nine vs Australia. Debut: vs South Africa in 2001-02. Led India to victory in only Test match vs Sri Lanka, Ahmedabad, 2005-06. Touring Australia for the second time

Note: Given his current form, his inclusion in the team was a shock. But he has been successful versus Australia.

ISHANT SHARMA Delhi

8226; Born: September 2,1988, Delhi. Right hand tail end bat, right arm fast medium pace bowler.

8226; 2 Tests, Debut: vs Bangladesh in Mirpur, 2007. Never played in a Test match against Australia. Touring Australia for the first time

Note: His height and steady speed was an asset for the Indian squad late into the Pakistan series. It also was because the top draw bowlers could not make the cut.