According to ESPNcricinfo, India will send up to three starters in the India A team ahead of the main event.
With Rohit Sharma set to miss one of the first two Tests in Australia later this year, the Indian team has started preparing for the first reserve match. According to ESPNcricinfo, India will send up to three starters in the India A team ahead of the main event.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad looks set to lead India A on the tour, although his recent returns in red-ball cricket have not been encouraging. While he played a good knock of 86 runs, his overall form has been worrying but the management showed faith in him and assigned him captaincy duties.
Also, Abhimanyu Easwaran, one of the most consistent batsmen in the domestic arena, will be the team’s second opener. His last six scores in First Class cricket read: 5, 127*, 191, 116, 19 and 157*, making him a perfect candidate to replace Rohit, even though the team would test him in Australia including it in India A.
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Sai Sudharsan, who scored a magnificent double century against a formidable Delhi attack earlier in the day, will be the third opener. The series against Australia A will be a test for these first three matches to fill in for the Indian captain in his absence.
Devdutt Padikkal, Baba Indrajith to form the middle order; Yash Dayal in the pace attack
Meanwhile, other consistent players of domestic cricket like Devdutt Padikkal and Baba Indrajith will be part of the middle order for the tour. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who had a dream debut series against Bangladesh, will also travel with the unit.
Ishan Kishan, who is no longer on the BCCI’s central contract list, and Abishek Porel will be the keepers. Off-spinner Tanush Kotian and left-arm orthodox Manav Suthar have been the two most consistent spinners and will form India A’s spin attack.
Two left-arm pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Yash Dayal and Mukesh Kumar and Navdeep Saini will also be in the team. They have all played well in red-ball cricket of late and will rightly reap the rewards.
The first match between Australia A and India A will begin on October 31 at McKay before the caravan moves to Melbourne for the second match, starting on November 7. India will also play a warm-up match in Perth from November 15-17 before that. the first test against Australia.
India A squad for Australia tour as per ESPNcricinfo: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, B Indrajith, Abishek Porel (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Mukesh Kumar, Ricky Bhui, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Manav Suthar , Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Tanush Kotian, Yash Dayal.
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