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Rahul and Jaiswal lead India A into four-day match against New Zealand A in Lincoln
Dhruv Jurel captains a strong India A side in the first of three unofficial Tests from Saturday, a rehearsal for the senior Test series later on the tour.
Key points
- India A meet New Zealand A at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln from Saturday.
- Dhruv Jurel leads a squad that includes KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudarsan.
- Rishabh Pant is out, recovering from a left side strain at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
India’s Test hopefuls get their first taste of New Zealand conditions on Saturday, when India A begin a four-day match against New Zealand A at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln.
The side is led by wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel and carries plenty of senior experience. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal head a batting group that also includes Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudarsan and Ravichandran Smaran, while Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Kumar and Manav Suthar give the selectors a look at the bowling options.
It is the first of three unofficial Tests. The second is in Christchurch from 31 October to 3 November and the third back in Lincoln from 7 to 10 November. The senior side’s World Test Championship assignment begins in Wellington on 19 November.
India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said the series had real value for both the fringe players and the senior men. “There is a lot of importance of India A series,” he said, adding that for those heading into the Tests “the match practice of the red ball is very important”.
One notable name is missing. Rishabh Pant is recovering at the BCCI Centre of Excellence from a left side strain he picked up while captaining Rest of India in the Irani Cup. Kumar Kushagra has replaced him for the first two matches, and a call on Pant for the third will be made later.
New Zealand A will be captained by Rhys Mariu for the first two games. The one-day series, which starts on 4 November, may limit how many senior players stay with the A side throughout.