The series garnered a lot of attention as it was supposed to mark flamboyant superstar Hardik Pandya’s return to competitive cricket, but a right shin injury has ruled him out for an indefinite period. As far as seam-bowling all-rounders are concerned, Indian cricket does not have multiple options, with Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Suryansh Shedge being the top three at the moment. Young fast bowlers Gurjapneet Singh, Arshad Khan and Yash Thakur will be eager to prove their mettle and establish themselves as answers to the senior side’s current resource scarcity in the pace department when India A take on Australia A in a three-match one-day series starting on Tuesday.
Shedge, who had just completed his rehabilitation at the Centre of Excellence, has replaced Pandya in the India A side.
The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side boasts a star-studded batting unit, with the skipper himself, Devdutt Padikkal, B Sai Sudharsan and Rajat Patidar all having played for the senior national team. One interesting aspect of the India A team is that both Gurjapneet and Arshad are left-arm seamers, while Yash is a right-arm pacer. It will be interesting to see how they measure up against a line-up featuring players such as Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney, both of whom have played for their national side. India A: Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Devdutt Padikkal, B Sai Sudharsan, Priyansh Arya, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Suryansh Shedge, Rajat Patidar, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Arshin Kulkarni, Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Yash Thakur, Gurjapneet Singh, Arshad Khan, Anukul Roy.
