Rajat Patidar will walk out as India A captain for the opening one-day match against Australia A in Kanpur on 30 September. Once Tilak Varma returns from Asia Cup duty in the UAE he will take charge of the second and third fixtures, on 3 and 5 October, with Patidar acting as his deputy.
Varma is not the only Asia Cup traveller set to bolster the squad later in the week. Abhishek Sharma, fast-bowler Harshit Rana and left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh are also pencilled in for games two and three. To make space, top-order batter Priyansh Arya and seamer Simarjeet Singh will step aside after the opener.
Ayush Badoni is the busiest man in the touring party. The all-rounder is already named for both four-day matches against the same opponents, starting in Lucknow on 16 and 23 September, and now features in all three 50-over contests as well.
Selection panel chairman Shiv Sundar Das, speaking after the squads were released, noted the need to “reward form while keeping one eye on the future”. Even so, several prolific performers from last season’s Vijay Hazare Trophy have missed out. Among the competition’s top ten run-scorers only Prabhsimran Singh and Abhishek Sharma make the cut, while Arshdeep is the lone representative from the leading wicket-takers’ list.
The core batting group is familiar. Patidar’s century in the Duleep Trophy final last week underlined his consistency, Riyan Parag continues to build on an encouraging domestic year, and wicketkeeper-batters Prabhsimran and Abishek Porel provide flexibility in the middle order. Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam and Nishant Sindhu fill the seam-spin all-rounder roles.
The pace unit, led by Arshdeep once he arrives, also includes Gurjapneet Singh and Yudhvir Singh, both looking to translate IPL flashes into longer spells. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi heads the spin attack and is likely to bowl in tandem with Sindhu on the slow Kanpur surface.
Australia A have named a near-full-strength group, so the tour is viewed inside the BCCI as a true yardstick for players on the fringes of the senior side. “It’s the kind of contest where a couple of good days can change a career,” Bishnoi said during a training session in Bengaluru. “But there’s no point putting pressure on ourselves. The idea is to stick to the plans we’ve used in domestic cricket.”
India A squads
First one-day international: Rajat Patidar (capt), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abishek Porel (wk), Priyansh Arya, Simarjeet Singh.
Second and third ODIs: Tilak Varma (capt), Rajat Patidar (vice-capt), Abhishek Sharma, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Suryansh Shedge, Vipraj Nigam, Nishant Sindhu, Gurjapneet Singh, Yudhvir Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Abishek Porel (wk), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh.
Fixtures
16–19 Sep: First four-day match, Lucknow
23–26 Sep: Second four-day match, Lucknow
30 Sep: 1st ODI, Kanpur
3 Oct: 2nd ODI, Kanpur
5 Oct: 3rd ODI, Kanpur
