India's Squad for 2014-15 Tour of Australia: Breaking Down All 19 Members

It is said that lightning does not strike twice, but India will head to Australia later this month for a long tour, culminating with the World Cup next March, knowing they could be hit for the fourth time in as many years by the end of it.

The world champions had endured humiliating 4-0 defeats in Test series in England and Australia following their triumphant World Cup campaign in 2011.

As MS Dhoni's men prepare to defend their crown in Australia and New Zealand next year, they would hope to avoid the ignominy of suffering crushing series defeats yet again against the other two members of world cricket's Big Three.

India have announced a 19-member squad for the four-Test series that begins the tour, starting at The Gabba on December 4. This includes eight batsmen, three wicketkeeper batsmen, three spin-bowling all-rounders and five fast bowlers.

Here is a breakdown of all the members of the squad.

India skipper MS Dhoni has been ruled out of the first of the four Tests as he recuperates from an injury to this right thumb. Virat Kohli will lead the team in his absence.

Dhoni will join the team from the second Test and take over the captaincy from Kohli, according to a BCCI press release.

The 33-year-old has been rested for the ongoing Sri Lanka series as well, and the Indians will be hoping their talismanic skipper returns to full fitness in time for the second Test.

This is also likely to be Dhoni's last tour of Australia, and he will want a better outcome than the 4-0 drubbing received at the hands of Michael Clarke's team three years ago.

After a nightmare tour of England, Virat Kohli wouldn't have been the only relieved man as he got among the runs at home against West Indies and Sri Lanka.

The Indian selectors would also have heaved a sigh of relief to have their vice-captain back in form, especially with Dhoni temporarily being out of the reckoning.

Kohli was India's only centurion on their last tour of Australia and the 26-year-old is also one of only five members of the squad who has played Test cricket in the country.

Despite being dropped after failing in the first three Tests of the England tour, Shikhar Dhawan has been given another chance to come good in foreign conditions.

Dhawan's reprieve may be due to the fact that he played well in New Zealand earlier this year, scoring a century and a 98 in two Tests. He also had Australia's number last year at home when he scored the fastest hundred by a debutant in Tests.

Dhawan should make the starting XI at The Gabba on December 4, but another failure could earn him an extended spell on the bench, with Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul waiting to fill in.

Murali Vijay is likely to open the innings alongside Dhawan at The Gabba.

The 30-year-old has had a successful last few months, including a century at Nottingham and a monk-like 95 at Lord's.

Although he did stumble in the latter half of the tour of England, Vijay has done enough to allow India to trust him with the vital opening position for an extended period.

The new Rahul in Indian cricket, this up-and-coming 22-year-old has been setting the domestic stage alight and has even shown faint similarities with his great namesake, Rahul Dravid, in his strokeplay.

Rahul was the second-highest run-scorer in the 2013-14 Indian first-class season, scoring 1158 runs at 52.63, which played a key part in his team Karnataka winning the Ranji Trophy.

Rahul carried his form into the current season, hitting twin centuries in the final of the Duleep Trophy, India's second most prestigious domestic championship.

Having toured Australia earlier this year with the India A squad, Rahul won't be venturing into the unknown if he gets a chance to play. 

Cheteshwar Pujara had a poor series in England and will be under some scrutiny in Australia.

A prolific run-scorer in home conditions and someone who fared well in South Africa last year, his run drought in England came as a surprise.

A successful series in Australia is just what Pujara and Indian fans will be hoping for. He was supposed to be the mainstay of the middle order along with Virat Kohli, and it will be a real disappointment and waste of talent if he does not live up to it.

After a mature performance over the last year, including a sublime hundred at Lord's, Ajinkya Rahane will be one of the first names on the team sheet. 

A versatile batsman who can bat anywhere in the order, Rahane looks most natural at the top of the order, but a host of other options leaves him relegated to the No 5 spot.

Not that he is complaining. 

Rohit Sharma may have just broken the one-day record for the highest individual score (264), but a four-Test series against Australia in Australia would be the real test for the star batsman.

Sharma is still struggling to come to terms with Test cricket, especially away from home.

He might be a prominent part of India's one-day setup, but he has a long way to go before he can replicate the performances of previous Indian Test No. 5s such as Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. 

Suresh Raina last last played a Test for India in September 2012, but a sustained run in the shorter formats has given him a second chance in the white flannels.

In 17 ODIs this year, Raina has scored 539 runs at an average of 38.50, including a series tally of 160 runs in four games in England. He has also been a vital part of Chennai Super Kings' success in the Indian Premier League.

ESPNcricinfo reported that Raina's inclusion in the squad was down to new team director Ravi Shastri wanting to give the southpaw "one last chance".

Forever having been an understudy to MS Dhoni, 30-year-old Wriddhiman Saha gets his big chance to prove his worth in the former's absence at Brisbane.

Two-Test-old Saha is certain to play at The Gabba and should be looking to prove that he is the one to replace Dhoni permanently when the time comes.

Saha does not have age on his side, but is a decent wicketkeeper. Some runs on the board at The Gabba would do him a world of good.

Another wicketkeeper-batsman on the wrong side of 30, Naman Ojha has been drafted into the squad just for the first Test, while Dhoni is away.

An attacking batsman, Ojha has been playing splendidly on the domestic circuit and had a very good tour of Australia along with India A recently.

He is unlikely to get a game during the series but an international debut doesn't look too far away for the 31-year-old the way he is playing.

India's No. 1 spin bowler Ravichandran Ashwin is expected to keep his place in the side, unless India choose to go with four seamers, which they have done previously in Australia. 

Ashwin backs up as an able lower-order batsman and even has two centuries to his name, albeit in home conditions. 

With India likely to go with six batsmen in each of the matches during the Test series, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja provides the added advantage of being someone who can bowl and keep things tight at one end with his slow left-arm spin.

Jadeja has never played a Test in Australia, but he had a very successful home series against Michael Clarke's men in 2013.

If anything, India will hope the eccentric 25-year-old keeps himself away from controversy and focuses on his game.

Having recently made his debuts in Twenty20 internationals and one-dayers, leggie Karn Sharma caps a remarkable two years with a call-up to the Indian Test squad.

After making his mark playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2013, he became the richest uncapped domestic player in the cash-rich league in the 2014 season, when the Sunrisers retained him for $625,000.

A wrist spinner who has the ability to bowl quicker through the air and add a few variations, Karn could be a handful in Australia if he gets a run. He is also quite capable of handling himself with a bat.

The only bowler to play all of India's Test and one-day matches during the tour of England, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has only grown in stature with every passing game.

His deceiving swing and pinpoint accuracy is a lethal weapon in the Indian bowling armoury and Bhuvneshwar could well go on to become the leader of the attack if he maintains his consistency and fitness.

India did well to rest Bhuvneshwar for the ongoing Sri Lanka series, which should hopefully give him enough time to recharge his batteries for another long and taxing overseas tour.

After a successful debut series at home last year against the West Indies, Mohammed Shami hasn't managed to replicate his form while away from home, but still keeps his place in the squad for Australia.

Eleven of his 32 Test wickets came in his first two Tests, played at home, while the next seven matches, all away from home, yielded only 21.

With India bound to go with four fast bowlers at some point during the tour, Shami faces a tough battle to make the starting XI.

The enigma that he is, Ishant Sharma is another player who you just cannot leave out, no matter how bad a game he has had.

Against all odds, Ishant helped India script one of their most memorable victories in recent times at Lord's in July.

At just 25 years of age, it is quite remarkable that this is going to be Ishant's third tour of Australia. His first ever visit in 2007-08 was quite a memorable one, in which he had then Australian captain Ricky Ponting's number and announced himself on the international stage.

His second trip in 2011-12 wasn't so successful, so he will be looking to turn that around.

Umesh Yadav had a very poor first tour of Australia in 2011-12, which led to him being axed from the team for a long duration.

However, after showing some consistency in the last few months, he is back in the reckoning and finds himself with a ticket to what promises to be a make-or-break tour for his career.

A fit, raring and consistent Yadav could prove to be a handful for the Aussies.

Tall, strong and very fast, Varun Aaron has the potential of becoming a world-class pace bowler if he is maintained well by India.

Easily one of India's fastest bowlers in recent times, the team management should ensure that Aaron is not overworked and is in the right hands as a youngster.

He provided glimpses of his potential in England and has an exciting future ahead if he can reduce the frequency of his injuries.

The prospect of watching Yadav and Aaron operate from opposite ends in Australia is a mouth-watering one for Indian fans, who will be hoping their speedsters manage to play all four Tests.