The India A squad, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, was all smiles as they headed off to Australia for the upcoming first-class series against Australia A, which will begin on October 31. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had announced a strong squad for the tour, with some big names being included in the 15-member side.
Ruturaj is set to lead the side, while Ishan Kishan has been included as one of the wicketkeepers alongside Abhishek Porel.
Gaikwad, who has been in outstanding form in the ongoing Ranji Trophy, made an impressive 86 in the opener against Jammu & Kashmir, followed by a commanding 145 against Mumbai.
Meanwhile, Kishan has been working tirelessly in domestic cricket to regain his place in the Indian team after losing his central contract earlier this year.
His efforts paid off recently when he smashed a century for Jharkhand against Railways, adding to his earlier tons in both the Duleep Trophy and the Buchi Babu Memorial tournament.
Abhimanyu Easwaran, Bengal’s in-form batter, has been appointed vice-captain. Easwaran has been a standout performer in domestic cricket, having scored centuries in four consecutive first-class matches, catching the attention of the selectors.
Apart from this, the pace battery sees Navdeep Saini, Yash Dayal, Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar in the mix with young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy also included.
Ruturaj shared an image on his Instagram story on October 24, Thursday, showing the squad inside airplane as they readied to fly off to Australia.
Apart from the two first-class 4-day matches in Mackay and Melbourne against India A, the Gaikwad-led side will also face the Indian senior team, which will be heading Down Under for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The Intra squad game will take place between November 15 and 17, with the first BGT Test happening on the November 22.
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
India A schedule in Australia
October 31-November 3: 1st four-day match vs Australia A, Mackay
November 7-10: 2nd four-day match vs Australia A, Melbourne
November 15-17: Intra-squad game vs India
