Australia have included youngsters Will Pucovski and Cameron Green in their 17-man squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India

Australia on Thursday announced a 17-man squad for the upcoming four-match home Test series against India. Youngsters Cameron Green and Will Puckovski have been been called.

Sean Abbott, Mitchell Swepson and Michael Neser are some other players who have found a place in the squad alongside the regulars. They could be in line for a Test debut when the four-Test series begins on December 17 in Adelaide.

“What we saw in the opening rounds of the Marsh Sheffield Shield were a number of players performing exceptionally well,” said Cricket Australia national selector Trevor Hohns said Thursday.

“Two of those many standout players were of course Cameron Green and Will Pucovski. Their undeniable form demanded selection and we are very pleased to have these young men in the squad for what will be a tremendous Test Series against an extremely formidable opponent,” he added.

Like in the limited-overs set-up, right-arm pacer Pat Cummins will serve as Tim Paine’s deputy in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as well.

“As was the case with the white ball side we have reverted to a traditional leadership model of captain and vice-captain now we have a settled and in-form group of experienced players,” Hohns said.

“Travis remains an important member of the senior leadership group and has been integral in the recent success of the side which is now ranked as the best Test team in the world. He has been a great support to Tim and is a very experienced leader,” he added.

Meanwhile, the players of the Indian cricket team left directly from the United Arab Emirates after participating in the 13the season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) there. Team India were seen PPE kits in images shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

India’s tour of Australia will kick off with the ODI series from November 27. It will be followed by the three-match T20I series from December 4 before the Virat Kohli-led team begins the title defence of the Border-Gavaskar trophy with the pink-ball Test in Adelaide from December 17.

It will be followed by Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (December 26), the Sydney Cricket Ground (January 7) and the Gabba (January 15).

Australia squad: Sean Abbott, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Tim Paine (c), James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner