Mumbai, Nov 10 (IANS): India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been rested for the first Test against Australia but will resume his duties from the second Test. Virat Kohli will lead the side as stand-in skipper for the opening Test starting Dec 4.

India will be touring Australia for four Tests, starting Dec 4, which will be preceded by two two-day practice games in November.

"Virat Kohli will lead India in the first Test, starting on 4 December 2014, in Brisbane. M.S. Dhoni has been rested for the first Test as a prophylactic measure to ensure optimum recovery. He will join the team from the second Test onwards, and will lead the team for the rest of the Test series," said Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Sanjay Patel.

BCCI's All-India Senior Selection Committee met here Monday to select the team.

India squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, K.L. Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Karn Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Mohd. Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron.