Gaikwad to lead India A with Test spots up for grabs

Ruturaj Gaikwad will captain the India A side on their tour of Australia as he shapes as a leading contender for a reserve opening batter slot in the India Test squad.

India captain Rohit Sharma is expected to miss one or perhaps both of the first two Tests of this summer's Border-Gavaskar Trophy series due to personal reasons.

It means the A series serves as the final curtain call for auditions for Test openers from both sides, with Australia hunting a more permanent replacement at the top of the order for David Warner.

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

Gaikwad, who has posted 472 runs in 10 first-class innings this season in India, including 145 in his last bat for Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy, is a front-runner to fill Rohit's shoes and partner exciting young prospect Yashasvi Jaiswal for part of the five-Test series.

Fellow contenders Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan were also named in a 15-player squad overnight by the BCCI.

Easwaran, a 29-year-old who plays for Bengal, was part of an India Test squad in 2022, and was captain for the previous India A series when they hosted England Lions in at the start of 2024.

He finished the last domestic first-class season with an unbeaten 200, and has hit four centuries in the current season, with scores of 157no and 116 in the Duleep Trophy, a regional first-class competition, 191 for 'Rest of India' in the Irani Cup, and 127no in his sole match in this season's Ranji Trophy, the premier first-class competition.

Sudharsan, the youngest contender at 23 and who has made his international debut for India in both white-ball formats in the past 12 months, has also been in hot form recently.

His last innings, for Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy, saw him post 213 against Delhi, while also scoring a century in the Duleep Trophy, and scoring a ton for Surrey in the County Championship's first division in August, albeit batting at six.

Spencer Johnson, who played with Sudharsan at the Gujarat Titans in the IPL, said he was blown away by the talented left hander. 

"There's so many guys over there that are amazing, like Sai Sudharsan, who a lot of people wouldn't know here," Johnson told the Unplayable Podcast.

"He batted (number) three for us, and he could be a smokey for the Test squad." 

Jasprit Bumrah, who was named vice-captain for India's ongoing Test series against New Zealand, is a contender to captain India if Rohit does miss a Test match. Naming a vice-captain for a home series is an uncommon move for India.

Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are certainties for the Test squad but doubts remain over the fitness of Mohammed Shami, who suffered a set-back in his recovery from a knee injury.

The experienced quick was caught going through his paces during the breaks of the first India v New Zealand Test in Bengaluru. 

Harshit Rana and Mayank Yadav, the reserve quicks who have been travelling with the senior squad against New Zealand, have not been included in the India A squad, however pacey allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy will make the trip.

The A series consists of two first-class matches played in Mackay and at the MCG, before India A play a closed-doors intra-squad three-day match against the Test squad at the WACA Ground in Perth in the lead-up to the first NRMA Insurance Test starting in the city on November 22.

Australia A v India A series

Australia A squad: Nathan McSweeney (c), Cameron Bancroft, Scott Boland, Jordan Buckingham, Cooper Connolly, Ollie Davies, Marcus Harris, Sam Konstas, Nathan McAndrew, Michael Neser, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Jimmy Peirson, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Mark Steketee, Beau Webster

India A squad: 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

First first-class match: October 31-November 3: Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay (10am AEST)

Second first-class match: November 7-10: MCG, Melbourne (10.30am AEDT)

India v India A intra-squad match

November 15-17: WACA Ground, Perth