Abhimanyu to lead India A as BCCI names 13-member squad for England Lions games
Jan 06, 2024
New Delhi [India], January 6 : The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced the India A's squad for the 2-day warm-up fixture and first multi-day game against the England Lions.
BCCI released a statement to announce the 13-member India 'A' squad for their upcoming series against the England Lions.
"The Men's Selection Committee named a 13-member India 'A' squad for a 2-day warm-up fixture & the first multi-day match against England Lions. India 'A' will play a total of 3 multi-day matches in the tour," the BCCI said in a statement.
Rising star Abhimanyu Easwaran will lead India A against the visiting England Lions in the first two fixtures in Ahmedabad.
The two-day warm-up game will be played on January 12-13 and will be followed by a four-day first-class fixture from January 17-20, both taking place in Ahmedabad.
Sai Sudharsan has been included in the squad. He has shown his class with the bat as he struck back-to-back half-centuries in his first two ODIs against South Africa last month.
Abhimanyu's most probable opening partner was Devdutt Padikkal but he did not find his place in the 13-member squad.
Padikkal struck 193 against a strong Punjab bowling attack in the Ranji Trophy in Hubli on Saturday.
The middle-order is made up of strong batters, which include Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan and Pradosh Ranjan Paul.
In terms of wicketkeeping options, KS Bharat is likely to take up the role, with young Dhruv Jurel acting as his understudy and providing the much-needed backup.
Meanwhile, the Indian bowling line-up consists of spinners Manav Suthar and Pulkit Narang. Suthar doesn't have a lot of experience performing on the big stage. But he will be looking to leave his mark on the back of a strong last-year Ranji season. He picked up 39 wickets throughout the tournament.
In the attacking line-up, Navdeep Saini, Vidwath Kaverappa, Tushar Deshpande and Akash Deep have received the call-ups. They were all part of India A squad in South Africa,
India-A squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (Captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, KS Bharat (WK), Manav Suthar, Pulkit Narang, Navdeep Saini, Tushar Deshpande, Vidwath Kaverappa, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Akash Deep.
