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Australia win toss, bat first against India

BANGALORE, India - Australia captain Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat first in the opening match of the four-test cricket series against India on Thursday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

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Legspinner Cameron White became Australia's 402nd test player when he was handed his debut for the match ahead of offspinner Jason Krejza.

Australia will field a new opening combination with Simon Katich partnering Matthew Hayden, who returns from a heel injury which ruled him out of the West Indies series. Allrounder Shane Watson will bat at No. 6 while White is listed at No. 8.

India included fast bowlers Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma to play alongside spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has announced he will retire at the end of this series, while current skipper Kumble has confirmed this test will be his last on his home ground.

Australia holds the Border-Gavaskar trophy after winning the previous series 2-1 at home in January.

Teams:

Australia: Matthew Hayden, Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Cameron White, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Clark.

India: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Anil Kumble (captain), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma.

Umpires: Asad Rauf, Pakistan, and Rudi Koertzen, South Africa.

TV Umpire: Amish Saheba, India. Match Referee: Chris Broad, England.

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