India include Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly struggled with the bat during the 2-1 Test defeat in Sri Lanka

Buy this photo

Out-of-form batsman Sourav Ganguly has been named in to India’s squad for the first two Test matches against Australia.

Ganguly’s place in the 15-man squad had been in question following a disappointing series against Sri Lanka when he managed just 96 runs in six innings.

The 36-year-old left-hander was subsequently left out of the Rest of India squad for their Irani Cup match - the traditional warm-up for a Test series.

Despite that the newly-appointed Board of Control for Cricket in India, which is headed by Krish Srikkath, have kept faith with the former captain for the much-anticipated series.

The first Test of the series begins in Bangalore on October 9, with the second Test in Mohali.

The BCCI will name its 15-man squad for the final two Tests after the match in Mohali.

India squad: Anil Kumble (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, Mahendra Dhoni, Subramaniam Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma, Rudra Pratap Singh.