IND A vs AUS A preview: India Test berth at stake for Shreyas Iyer, Easwaran eyes runs before WI series

IND A Vs AUS A: The series begins on September 16, that will see two Tests, and three ODIs.

The world has had enough of India vs Pakistan in the last day or so. But with the Asia Cup going on, it is also important to focus on the India A vs Australia A series that starts from September 16. And first up will be two Test matches at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. The BCCI has named a rather strong squad for the series, which is full of players who are on the fringes of the Indian Test team, with a few notable omissions as well.

Shreyas Iyer to lead, in India reckoning

Shreyas Iyer will be the captain of the two Tests, and a few runs under his belt here will only give the selectors a stronger reason to bring him back in the team. As far as his leadership is concerned, it’s tried and tested, and is one of the best in the country right now. Another player who finds himself in a similar situation is, if not the same, Abhimanyu Easwaran.

The Bengal batter has been in the loop for some years now, but just somehow doesn’t get a chance in the playing XI. So some runs vs Australia could seal the deal vs West Indies, and he might just get a chance.

Will India play N Jagadeesan as pure batter?

In the Duleep Trophy semis, TN batter Jagadeesan went on to score 197 and 52 against North Zone. That performance alone means that the IND A side could opt to pick him as a pure batter, with Dhruv Jurel as the main keeper. The team is packed with batters — Sai Sudharsan, Ayush Badoni, and Devudutt Padikkal; but the XI might just show — who stands where in the pecking order for the Indian team.

Bowling as strong as ever

If one has to see Indian cricket’s might, just look at the quality of all-rounders and bowlers in the team. There is Harsh Dubey who was Ranji’s leading wicket-taker last year, and can bat and get you 30-40 runs. Nitish Kumar Reddy has already played a few matches for India, and Tanush Kotian, a potential replacement for R Ashwin. Hero in last Test in England, Prasidh Krishna would lead the pace attack with Khaleel Ahmed.

All-in-all, it is team that is clearly the superior one, if compared to Australia A. The known faces there are Cooper Connolly, Xavier Bartlett, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, and Todd Murphy.. and none of them have been great at the Test level.

India A Squad: Sai Sudharsan, N Jagadeesan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni, Manav Suthar, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar.