The Board of Control Cricket in India (BCCI) have announced the India A squad on Sunday, September 14 for series against Australia A, starting on September 30. In the first ODI, Rajat Patidar will lead the side, while in the remaining two ODIs, Tilak Varma will lead India A. Interestingly, there is no Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma in the squad. Contrary to reports which suggested the duo will play the India A series as a warm-up to the Down Under series, the BCCI have not picked the star batters.
The squad sees a lot of young players like Ravi Bishnoi, Vipraj Nigam, Gurjapneet Singh, & Prabhsimran Singh. Patidar, who led Central Zone to victory in the finals against South Zone of Duleep Trophy, has yet again been entrusted to lead the side. The right-hand batter is having a dream 2025 year, which started with RCB lifting the trophy for the first time in 18 years, and later helping Central Zone to the ultimate glory. He will be keen to continue the good form and knock on the door for selection.
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The squad for the second and third ODIs will also include Harshit Rana and Arshdeep. Both pacers will wind up the Asia Cup on September 28, and will straightaway be in action for the two ODIs.
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Focus on youngsters as India A keen to make a statement against Australia A
With a lot of young players selected in the India A squad, it is a golden opportunity for the players to showcase their humongous talent and put on a statement making performance. Also, some of the out-of-contention players like Patidar, Bishnoi, and Riyan Parag have a chance to stake a claim in the white-ball formats by performing well in these three List-A games. While there is no guarantee that these good performances will immediately translate to a call-up in the national side, at least the players can give a good headache to the selectors.
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All three games will be played in Kanpur. India's white-ball tour to Australia will begin from October 19, with the first ODI set to be played at the Optus Stadium in Perth. If all goes according to plan, then Rohit Sharma will lead the ODI side.
