The Indian squad going into the Test series v Australia starting Thursday:
Anil Kumble(Captain)
Age: 37
Right arm leg spin bowler, right hand batsman
130 Tests, 616 wickets at 29.33; 2456 runs at 17.66
An inspired if short-term choice as captain before last summer's tour of Australia, Kumble is the heartbeat as well as brains of his side.
Never one to back down and a difficult customer on Indian wickets where he gains enough spin to make his speedy, bouncing leg breaks lethal.
Virender Sehwag
Age: 29
Right hand batsman, right arm off spin bowler
60 Tests, 5157 runs at 52.62; 24 wickets at 37.58
Unstoppable at his best but also flighty enough to leave most bowlers feeling they have a chance, Sehwag is among the most explosive batsmen in world cricket. Handy finger spinner too.
Gautam Gambhir
Age: 26
Left hand batsman
17 Tests, 1002 runs at 37.11
Gambhir's stop-start career in Tests and one-dayers may be about to go into an extended run as Sehwag's opening partner.
Showed he has plenty of runs in him during last summer's tri-series Down Under but will need to be at his best when Brett Lee and co zero in and likely to be seen as weak link in a strong batting line-up.
Rahul Dravid
Age: 35
Right hand batsman
125 Tests, 10246 runs at 53.92
Nicknamed The Wall for his defensive technique. A considered, thoughtful character, Dravid understands better than anyone his pivotal role at No.3 but will hope to bat with the kind of unhurried freedom he exhibits at his best.
Sachin Tendulkar
Age: 35
Right hand batsman, right arm off spin/leg spin bowler
150 Tests, 11877 runs at 54.23; 42 wickets at 52.66
There is little left to be said or written about Tendulkar. The best remains the 1996 quote from Sir Donald Bradman: "I never saw myself play, but I feel that this fellow is playing much the same as I used to play. To me it's his compactness, his technique, his stroke production, it all seemed to gel."
VVS Laxman
Age: 33
Right hand batsman
96 Tests, 6000 runs at 43.79
"Very very special" Laxman always seems to bring his best against Australia, but was successfully hemmed in by Ricky Ponting's men in 2004 when the quicks fed his strengths while setting fields to block runs in those areas.
A majestic century in Sydney earlier this year was one pleasant memory to take from a spiteful Test match.
Sourav Ganguly
Age: 36
Left hand batsman, right arm medium pace bowler
109 Tests, 6888 runs at 41.74; 32 wickets at 52.53
Appeared set to confirm his international retirement before a new selection panel earned him a reprieve for one last tilt at Australia.
Ganguly is a fighter, and on typically dead Indian pitches a masterful gatherer of runs, particularly though the offside.
Mahendra Dhoni
Age: 27
Right hand batsman, wicketkeeper
29 Tests, 1418 runs at 33.76; 68 catches, 14 stumpings
From the moment he led his nation to victory at the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship last year, Dhoni's has been without equal in India for pure star power. Accurately described by Australian coach Tim Nielsen as yet to fulfil his enormous potential as a Test batsman.
S Badrinath
Age: 28
Right hand batsman
No Tests
A cultured batsman with an enviable first-class batting average of 54.11, Badrinath has been around the fringes for some time. Double failure in the lead up match against the Australians should mean Ganguly gets first crack at No.6 for this series.
Harbhajan Singh
Age: 28
Right arm off spin bowler, right hand batsman
69 Tests, 291 wickets at 30.87; 1209 runs at 15.3
Given some of his antics, it is easy to forget that Harbhajan is a finger spinner of rare quality, possessing reserves of spin, bounce and variation unavailable to the vast majority of tweakers.
Has said he is sick of being known as a bad boy, but also that he is not planning on making friends during this series.
Amit Mishra
Age: 25
Right arm leg spin bowler, right hand batsman
No Tests
An attacking leg spinner who relies far more on flight and spin than his senior Kumble, Mishra will bother the Australians for the simple fact that he was chosen in the Test squad ahead of 19-year-old Piyush Chawla who troubled them so much in the lead up match.
Zaheer Khan
Age: 29
Left arm fast medium bowler, right hand batsman
56 Tests, 178 wickets at 34.06; 671 runs at 11.77
Quick enough to prevent batsman from re-adjusting in time if they misread his line or swing, Zaheer spent some time on the outer leading into 2007 when he captured his present place with some fierce spells in England.
One of the pacemen Matthew Hayden has warned against underestimating amid the spin talk.
Munaf Patel
Age: 25
Right arm fast medium bowler, right hand batsman
Nine Tests, 28 wickets at 33.57; 32 runs at 4.57
A tall, strapping type with an action that generates decent bounce, Munaf was a favourite of Greg Chappell's during his time as Indian coach. Now more of a reserve option behind Sharma.
Ishant Sharma
Age: 20
Right arm fast bowler, right hand batsman
Nine Tests, 23 wickets at 36.21; 92 runs at 18.4
Ishant emerged in Australia earlier this year as a paceman with the potential to match Glenn McGrath for the variety of tests he can pose to a batsman. Will benefit at home from the variable bounce on offer to a player of his height.
RP Singh
Age: 22
Left arm fast medium bowler, right hand batsman
13 Tests, 40 wickets at 39.1, best bowling 5-59; 91 runs at 6.5, highest score 30
Unobtrusive at first sight, RP Singh's command of reverse and orthodox swing at a slippery pace pushed him ahead of Zaheer Khan for a time, and together in sympathetic conditions they caused havoc against England in 2007.
Most likely to get a call-up this series in the event of injury.