KEY POINTS:
NAGPUR, India - Indian captain Mahendra Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat first against Australia in the fourth and final cricket test in Nagpur today.
Needing only a draw to win the series after claiming victory in the second Test, India will now be odds-on favourites
after winning the right to take first strike on a dry, brown surface that will be expected to break-up as the match progresses.
India backed down from their loud protest against the suspension of opener Gautam Gambhir by leaving him out and instead naming Tamil Nadu batsman Murali Vijay, 24, for his Test match debut.
Harbhajan Singh was the only other change after recovering from a foot injury, Singh returning to the side in place of the retired Anil Kumble.
The Australians named a spin-heavy XI, with the only change being the inclusion of off spinner Jason Krejza for his first match, at the expense of NSW seamer Stuart Clark.
Krejza was presented with his baggy green cap by captain Ricky Ponting before play, and spent his warm-ups wearing it while also flashing an excited grin.
Much will be expected of Krejza as a wicket-taking spinner, in contrast to White's less ambitious style.
Ponting said he was confident of Krejza's prospects at the end of a tour where he has learned much about the art fo spin bowling, from being belted for 0-199 from 31 overs in a tour game to spending time with Indian spin statesman Bishen Bedi in the Delhi nets last week.
"Jason was very close last game and as things turned out probably would've been a bit of a handful late on that wicket as well," Ponting said.
"I went down to the ground yesterday and had a little look at the track. As we expected there's not a blade of grass to be seen anywhere on the wicket, it's very, very bare and I think at different times in this game it will spin."
Teams
India: Mahendra Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Murali Vijay, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, S Badrinath (12th man).
Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt), Matthew Hayden, Simon Katich, Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Cameron White, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Stuart Clark (12th man).
- AAP