Young guns to get a taste of India at MRF Academy

A handful of Australia's top prospects are spending a fortnight getting an intense course in cricket on the subcontinent with a visit to the MRF Academy in Chennai.

The eight men's players form a group that covers a range of skills from across different formats, with a focus on rising first-class batters.

Victorian trio Will Sutherland, Campbell Kellaway and Sam Harper are joined by Western Australian pair Cooper Connolly and off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli.

Joel Davis, a gun fielder with the Sydney Thunder who captained Australia's Under-19 squad earlier this year against England, Tasmania's opening batter Tim Ward and South Australian Nathan McSweeney make up the group.

They have been joined on the tour by Beau Casson, the former Australia spinner who is now an assistant coach with Western Australia, and former Sri Lanka allrounder Thilan Samaraweera as coaches.

The eight players will integrate with local players in training and match opportunities, including a T20, one-day and two-day match across the next fortnight.

Cricket Australia have been sending players to the MRF Academy for the best part of two decades, with current Test players Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey among those to have previously visited.

Last year's group included spinners Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann, who both went on to make their Test debuts on this year's Border-Gavaskar Test series in India.

CA's head of national development, Sonya Thompson, said: “We’re delighted to continue the partnership with the MRF Academy and offer some of our best young players the opportunity to be exposed to such a unique experience.

"Training tours such as this are vital to help ensure players continually develop their skills and are fully prepared for whatever conditions they might face throughout their careers."