Ruturaj Gaikwad. (Source – The Hindu | Emmanual Yogini)
Ruturaj Gaikwad is set to lead India A on their tour to Australia, with Abhimanyu Easwaran set to be his deputy. The 15-member squad named by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on October 21 also includes keeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who is leading Jharkhand in Ranji Trophy 2024-25.
Gaikwad has been in stellar form in the Ranji Trophy and will be looking to convert his domestic success into a strong performance on the tour of Australia. The opener recently scored a brilliant 86 against Jammu & Kashmir, followed by a magnificent 145 against Mumbai.
Meanwhile, Kishan, who lost his central contract with the BCCI, has also been toiling hard in domestic cricket to earn his way back into the national reckoning. The 26-year-old has been in impressive form, having scored a century for Jharkhand against Railways in the Ranji Trophy . He has also slammed tons in the Duleep Trophy and the Buchi Babu Memorial tournament recently to make a strong case.
As for Bengal batter Abhimanyu Easwaran, he has been on a prolific run of form in domestic cricket, having scored four consecutive hundreds in four first-class matches. Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, and Baba Indrajith are among the other notable inclusions in the India A squad.
With the reports that Rohit Sharma is expected to miss the first two Tests against Australia, the India A tour will provide a golden opportunity for these youngsters to prove themselves and have a chance to get a spot in the senior Indian team.
The India A team will play two first-class matches against Australia A in Mackay and Melbourne before taking part in a three-day intra-squad game against the senior Indian team in Perth. This intra-squad game will be a crucial part of Team India’s preparatory camp for the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
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