02 October 2004	Saturday	16 Shaban 1425

BANGALORE, Oct 1:Star batsman Sachin Tendulkar was Friday named in a 15-member Indian squad for the opening two Tests of a four-match series against Australia. But Tendulkar, who missed three one-day tournaments because of an elbow injury, is still doubtful for the opening match starting here on Wednesday.

"His fitness will be assessed on a day-to-day basis and his position ascertained before the first Test," the Indian cricket board secretary Karunakaran Nair said. "Tendulkar was included in the team as we got a medical report that he is progressing well. Team physio Andrew Leipus has been looking after his rehabilitation process."

Tendulkar, who is suffering from an elbow injury, missed last month's Champions Trophy as well as a tri-series in the Netherlands and three one-dayers in England. The batsman, with 9,470 runs in 114 Tests, is just one century short of equalling compatriot Sunil Gavaskar's world record of 34 hundreds.

A new selection committee headed by former India wicket-keeper Kiran More did not spring any surprises. Left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra was dropped on fitness. "Nehra's name was discussed but the committee felt Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar were in a better position physically," said Nair.

Nehra withdrew from a practice match here earlier this week because of a swollen ankle. He was the second paceman to be ruled out after Laxmipathy Balaji, who is nursing an abdominal injury. Zaheer Khan, who proved his fitness in recent domestic matches, returned to the squad after missing the Champions Trophy in England because of a leg injury.

SQUAD: Saurav Ganguly (capt), Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Akash Chopra, Venkatsai Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Parthiv Patel, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Murali Kartik. -AFP