Late on Monday, the BCCI announced India A squad for the upcoming Australia A tour, that would simultaneously take place with the IND vs AUS tour. While Ruturaj Gaikwad was picked as the skipper of the side, Bengal’s opener Abhimanyu Easwaran was picked as his deputy.
As per the release by BCCI, the IND A team is expected to play three matches Down Under. First two will be first-class matches against Australia A in Mackay and Melbourne, respectively, and then take part in a “three-day intra-squad game against Team India (Senior Men) in Perth.”
India A Squad Announced, Mayank Yadav Misses Cut
One of the most notable omissions was that of speedster Mayank Yadav, who was expected to make the cut, in the 15-member squad. But instead the likes of Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal, and Navdeep Saini were picked. For the record, Mayank, after a long injury hiatus, made his India debut in Bangladesh T20Is, and picked up four wickets there.
Not just that, young fast-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was given a chance, who is expected to serve India in the longest-format, and fill Hardik Pandya’s void. The former performed well against BAN, scored 90 runs in three matches, and picked up three wickets as well.
Ishan Kishan Rewarded for Red-ball Form
Meanwhile, it was good news for Ishan Kishan, who was sidelined last year, for not playing domestic cricket. In his recent match for Jharkhand, vs Railways, he smashed 101. And back in September, he struck 111 in the Duleep Trophy as well, to make a strong case for selection.
India A squad for the tour of Australia: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran (VC), Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Baba Indrajith, Ishan Kishan (WK), Abishek Porel (WK), Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal, Navdeep Saini, Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian.