Bengaluru: Rishabh Pant is set to make his return to competitive cricket as captain of the India 'A' side for the two four-day matches against South Africa 'A'. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad on Tuesday, October 21, confirming Pant's comeback after recovering from a foot injury. The matches are scheduled to be held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, with the first match commencing on October 30.
Pant fractured his right foot in July during the fourth Test against England in Manchester. The injury forced him to miss the Asia Cup and the two-Test series against the West Indies. Before the injury, Pant was in excellent form during the tour of England, scoring 479 runs in seven innings with two centuries.
Sai Sudharsan has been named the vice-captain for both the four-day matches. Several Test regulars are slated to participate in the second match, including KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep. Ruturaj Gaikwad will replace Rajat Patidar for the second match. The spin trio of Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, and Manav Suthar have been included for both games.
India A Squads
For the 1st four-day match: Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), Ayush Mhatre, N Jagdeesan (WK), Sai Sudharsan (VC), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Anshul Kamboj, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni, Saransh Jain.
For the 2nd four-day match: Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Sai Sudharsan (VC), Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
Sarfaraz Khan's Omission
The exclusion of Sarfaraz Khan from the India A squad has sparked debate. Despite scoring heavily in domestic cricket, Khan has not found a place in the squad. Over the last five years, he has scored 2467 runs at an average of 117.47 in first-class cricket, including ten centuries. He was part of the India A squad that toured England, where he scored 92 runs. There are reports that the selectors are unsure where to fit him in the batting order.
The matches against South Africa A are crucial preparation for the two-Test series between India and South Africa, scheduled to begin on November 14 in Kolkata.
