New Delhi: As India A kicks off the proceedings on the England tour with a four-day meeting with the Lions in Canterbury, players who have been selected for the upcoming five-Test series will be aiming to get a much-needed feel of conditions and, hopefully, some form under their belt.
Frontline Test players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy have a great chance to acclimatise to English conditions when they take the field on Friday.
Besides Jaiswal and Nitish, Test selectees Abhimanyu Easwaran, Dhruv Jurel, Karun Nair, pacers Akash Deep and Shardul Thakur, all will be eager to have a feel of the conditions, ahead of the Test series against England, starting from June 20.
Except Karun, all the other India A players selected in the Test squad are on their maiden tour to England.
Easwaran has a golden chance to present his case as the opener to partner Jaiswal to the team management. The retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have left the opening and No. 4 slots open.
Great chance for Test selectees to impress
Easwaran, with a 101-match-old First-Class career, is a good candidate to fill the opening slot but needs to prove his credentials with some solid performances.
The Bengal batter came close twice to getting selected in the first eleven in the past, but failed to get the final nod.
With an open slot to fill after Rohit’s departure, Easwaran will be gunning to lock his place either as an opener or No. 3 in the Test series.
Meanwhile, Karun’s performances will also be under scrutiny in his comeback to the Indian team after eight years. The Vidarbha batter forced his way back into the team courtesy of a sensational run in the domestic circuit since the 2023-24 season.
The seasoned batter is a favourite to slot in the middle-order with experience of English conditions while playing County cricket for Northamptonshire likely to aid his cause.
Meanwhile, Nitish Reddy’s impressive outing in the 2024-25 Test series in Australia, where he scored 298 runs from five Tests at an average of 37, including a superb century, almost makes him an automatic starter.
Thakur’s inclusion in the Test squad as well as in the ‘A’ team gives India another option of adding more firepower to their bowling arsenal.
Teams (from): India A: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (VC) (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan (WK), Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Harsh Dubey.
England Lions: James Rew (captain), Farhan Ahmed, Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Jordan Cox, Rocky Flintoff, Emilio Gay, Tom Haines, George Hill, Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Ben McKinney, Dan Mousley, Ajeet Singh Dale, Chris Woakes, Max Holden.
India A kick off the England tour with a four-day “Unofficial Test” with the Lions with several players, who have been selected in the five-Test squad eager to acclimatise and gain form ahead of the series. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
