Cricket: Australia name bolter in test team

Mitchell Swepson. Photo / Getty

Queensland legspinner Mitchell Swepson is among four spinners included in Australia's 16-man squad for the looming Test tour of India.

Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar and Steve O'Keefe are the other tweakers while Glenn Maxwell returns to the Test fold, as do brothers Shaun and Mitchell Marsh.

Matthew Wade has retained his wicketkeeping spot for next month's four-Test tour, as has opening bat Matthew Renshaw.

The 23-year-old Swepson has been drafted into the squad after just 14 first-class matches in which he's taken 41 wickets at an average of 32.82.

"He is an exciting young legspinner, gives the ball a very good rip, he's a wicket-taking legspinner," Australia's interim chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday.

"At the end of the day, you have got to take wickets to win Test matches and given the opportunity we feel that he could play a part over there.

"If he doesn't, he'll gain a lot from the experience."

Hohns conceded winning the four-Test series, which starts in Pune on February 23, would be tough.

"We have a squad here that can perform well enough in those conditions to give a good account of itself," he said.

"We know it's very difficult over there. No country in the last 10 years probably has performed all that well over there or succeeded.

"Somehow, some way, someone has to turn the tide. And we're hoping that we can do that."

Australian squad:

Steve Smith (capt), David Warner (vice-captain), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve O'Keefe, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade.

- AAP