NEW DELHI: Sitanshu Kotak is likely to be India A coach for their upcoming tour of Australia where they are scheduled to play two First Class fixtures and one “match simulation”. National Cricket Academy (NCA) coach Kotak has travelled with A and even India sides in the past when regular coaching staff wasn’t available, and will be accompanying the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led unit for the upcoming tour.
The tour gets underway with the first fixture at GBRA, Mackay from October 31 and then action moves to the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) for the second game from November 7. Around the end of the second game, the Test squad is likely to leave for Australia and then have a match-simulation with the A squad at WACA, Perth.
The India A unit has been asked to assemble in Mumbai today and they will be together leaving for Australia from there. The squad is packed with India’s consistent domestic performers and also features players who are on the selector’s radar for quite some time. Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has not put a foot wrong in the domestic circuit in the recent past, is the vice-captain and emerging as a strong contender for the reserve opener slot.
He will face stiff competition from Sai Sudharsan who is fresh from a double hundred against Delhi in the Ranji Trophy and also the very elegant and classy Gaikwad. The middle-order features Devdutt Padikkal and the very consistent Baba Indrajith, and Ishan Kishan is back in the scheme of things after his recent outings in the domestic circuit.
The men’s senior selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar will be keeping a close eye on the pace battery too because it’s a long tour and they would want options ready for the five Tests against Australia. With both Khaleel Ahmed and Yash Dayal in the mix, one thing is clear that the selectors are keen to have a left-armer seamer in the mix and it remains to be seen which one of the two makes most of the three fixtures.
India A squad for the tour of Australia: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
