New Delhi: Indian batter Ruturaj Gaikwad has been named to lead a 15-member squad for the India A tour of Australia, which is scheduled to take place before the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Bengal’s season campaigner Abhimanyu Easwaran will be Ruturaj’s deputy during the two unofficial matches they will play against Australia A between October 31 and November 10.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have picked a host of consistent performers in domestic cricket to play three matches Down Under. Indian wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan is a notable inclusion in the squad given the talks over his potential comeback to the senior men’s side. Andhra’s Ricky Bhui and Bengal’s Abhishek Porel are the other options to keep the wickets.
Tamil Nadu youngster B Sai Sudharsan and Karnataka’s Devdutt Padikkal are the other top order options other than Ruturaj and Abhimanyu in the squad. Baba Indrajith will be key to solidify in the middle order with Ishan and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who recently made his white-ball debut for India in the Bangladesh T20Is.
Indian pacer Mukesh Kumar is expected to lead the bowling attack with Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed and Yash Dayal possessing a buoyant pace attack. Mumbai all-rounder Tanush Kotian has been rewarded for his consistency and impresive shows in Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup. Rajasthan’s left-arm spinner Manav Suthar will be the second spinner to complement Kotian.
India A squad for Australia tour: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran (VC), Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Baba Indrajith, Ishan Kishan (WK), Abishek Porel (WK), Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal, Navdeep Saini, Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian
India A tour of Australia schedule
India A team will play a couple of unoffiical Test matches in Australia at the Mackay Cricket Ground (October 31-November 3) and Melbourne Cricket Ground (November 7-10). The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team will also play a three-day intra-squad match against the senior Indian team between November 15 and 17 at the WACA in Perth, which will be the final preparations ahead of the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, which commences on November 22.
| India A tour of Australia schedule with timings, date and venue | ||||||
| No. | Date (From) | Date (To) | Start Day | Time (local) | Match | Venue |
| 1 | 31st Oct ’24 | 3rd Nov ’24 | Thursday | 10:00 AM | 1st first-class | GBRA, Mackay |
| 2 | 7th Nov ’24 | 10th Nov ’24 | Thursday | 10:30 AM | 2nd first-class | MCG, Melbourne |
| 3 | 15th Nov ’24 | 17th Nov ’24 | Friday | 10.20 AM | Match Simulation | WACA, Perth |
(Table courtesy: BCCI)
