India recall veteran for Bangladesh Test

India have recalled veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for the one-off Test against Bangladesh starting June 10 in Fatullah.

Harbhajan hasn’t featured in the five-day game for more than two years having last played Test cricket for India against Australia in March 2013.

The 34-year-old is part of a full-strength 15-man squad led by captain Virat Kohli in his first full Test series in charge after MS Dhoni stood down following last summer’s Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

"There is this burning desire inside me to make it back to the Indian team," Harbhajan told iplt20.com on Wednesday.

"That is the reason I am playing cricket. Playing for India is the most satisfying thing and the biggest motivation for me.

"Every day I wake up with a dream and that is to get back into that Indian side.

"All I tell myself is to continue to bowl.

"I am making sure that I tick all the boxes that I have chalked out for myself."

Harbhajan has taken 16 wickets for Ricky Ponting’s Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League this season, and will feature in the final after upsetting Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings in the qualifying semi-final last night.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India also announced a full-strength one-day international outfit for the three-match ODI series.

Dhawal Kulkarni replaces the injured Mohammad Shami in the only change to the 15-man squad that finished the World Cup as semi-finalists in Australia and New Zealand in March.

Squads:

Tests: Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravi Ashwin, Harbhajan, Karn Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Ishant Sharma

ODIs: MS Dhoni (c), Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohit  Sharma, Stuart Binny, Dhawal Kulkarni