India A, led by Cheteshwar Pujara, start the home series against Australia A with the first of two ‘unofficial’ Test matches on Wednesday in Chennai. The series, which runs from July 22 to August 11, also features a tri-series including South Africa A, will act as an auction of sorts for several members of the 15-member squad considering the packed international calendar that India has, with a tour to Sri Lanka and then South Africa’s visit before a limited-overs trip to Australia.
Ahead of the first match, here’s a look at some of the key members of the India A squad – coached by Rahul Dravid in a significant move by the BCCI – and what they stand to gain.
Crunch time for Pujara
How Pujara’s career has shifted. Before India’s tour to England in the summer of 2011, the Saurashtra batsman averaged 58.92 in 19 Test matches, with six centuries – including two doubles – and four fifties to his credit. Then he was exposed by James Anderson and Stuart Broad across five Tests, from which he tallied 222 runs with a solitary half-century. To improve his game, Pujara signed on for a short stint in county stint with Derbyshire; he began the Australia tour with 73 in his first innings but nosedived again, with scores of 21, 18, 43, 25 and 21 before he was dropped for the fourth Test at the SCG.
Since then, Pujara’s first-class experience has been limited to a few Ranji matches and four for Yorkshire in England, the last inning being an unbeaten 133 in the second week of May. India’s five-bowler approach for the Fatullah Test meant that Pujara missed out, and with Virat Kohli keen to replicate that formula the chances of a comeback have become thinner. A poor series against Australia could seriously hurt the 27-year-old’s confidence.
KL Rahul’s comeback bid
The series is a big chance for the Karnataka batsman to stake his claims for a Test recall. Rahul, 23, appeared set to resume opening the innings for India in the one-off Test in Fatullah last month following his century in Sydney back in January, but was sidelined with illness prior to the Bangladesh tour. That opened up a slot for Shikhar Dhawan, whose place Rahul had taken during the tour of Australia, and the left-hand batsman made a stroke-filled 173.
Rahul does not have any first-class match practice to carry into the two unofficial Tests against Australia, having only worked with trainers at the NCA in Bangalore. He will likely be partnered by Tamil Nadu’s Abhinav Mukund at top unless Dravid and the team management opt to open with young Mumbai batsman Shreyas Iyer, who made 809 runs at 50.56 in his first season of Ranji Trophy cricket and then followed that up with 300 runs for Delhi Daredevils in his maiden IPL.
A positive spin
The recall to all three international formats of Harbhajan Singh should act as inspiration for the two seasoned spinners picked in the squad – left-armer Pragyan Ojha and legspinner Amit Mishra. Ojha has admitted that seeing Harbhajan return to India’s Test them at the age of 34 has increased his belief of returning to the squad, but after a difficult season during which he struggled for form and had his action questioned and subsequently tweaked, the best way for him is to deliver wickets – and lots of them. Ojha, 28, last played a Test match in November 2013 where he was Man of the Match against West Indies for taking ten wickets.
For Mishra, 32, being out of the national team has afforded him the opportunity to enjoy his cricket. In a telling interview to ESPNcricinfo during the 2015 IPL, Mishra spoke of how he understands his craft better and now refuses to get bogged down by rejection, which has made him a smarter bowler. He has not played a Test since in over four years and last represented India during an ODI in October 2014, but getting another shot with the A team should allow Mishra the chance to prove how that enjoyment factor can translate into success with the ball.
Karnataka legspinner Shreyas Gopal is the third specialist spinner in the squad, but is likely to be sidelined by the presence of two bowlers with Test experience.
Pace to have a say?
The selection of two of India’s quickest bowlers in Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav in the A team on the same day that a depleted ODI squad to tour Zimbabwe was named raised a few eyebrows. Kohli, now Test captain, has backed pace and five bowlers in Tests. MS Dhoni, still India’s limited-overs skipper, spoke in Bangladesh of how taking pace off the ball was going to be crucial.
The squad to Zimbabwe featured Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohit Sharma, Sandeep Sharma and Stuart Binny – not express pace to say the least. Aaron and Umesh in the A squad sent mixed singles: Was the BCCI putting more focus on the Test setup? If Aaron and Umesh were fit for selection, why were they not picked for Zimbabwe?
The two bowlers are capable of touching 150kph despite difficult conditions, but their Test careers have not exactly been too praiseworthy. In Fatullah, Umesh just bowled nine wicketless overs for 49 runs; Aaron had 9-0-27-1 in Bangladesh’s first innings and did not bowl in the second. Spin dominated that rain-marred Test, so it was hard to thoroughly examine Kohli’s choice of five bowlers. India play a lot of Tests in the subcontinent over the next 16 months, and need their two fastest men operating at optimum level and taking wickets.
The Chennai pitches for the Australia A series aren’t expected to produce a whole lot for the quicks, which makes the task tougher for Aaron and Umesh. Aaron has been ruled out of the first match because of viral fever, but he and Umesh will at some point bowl in tandem, and need to show that the investment in them has dividends at the other end.
Naman Ojha playing for keeps
Dhoni’s retirement from Test cricket meant that Wriddhiman Saha got longer playing time as India’s preferred wicketkeeper, but the Bengal player hasn’t justified his place as a batsman. Scores of 25,13, 35, 0 and 6 in three Tests have opened up the debate as to whether Saha can hold down a spot in the XI as a batsman. The closest contender is Madhya Pradesh’s Naman Ojha, who was a replacement wicketkeeper in England and Australia, mostly because of an astonishing India A tour of Australia in 2014, where he scored three centuries in a row in two unofficial Tests against Australia A in Brisbane – a career-best 219*, 101* and 110.
Naman Ojha, who has represented India in one ODI and a couple of T20Is in 2010, has spoken earlier this year of his desire to play for India again. The only wicketkeeper in the current A squad now has another big opportunity to press for that dream debut. Robin Uthappa was the preferred wicketkeeper in India’s limited-overs squad for Zimbabwe – one that did not feature a single specialist gloveman – and at the back of Naman Ojha’s mind will be breaking into those formats too. A smooth series behind the stumps, plus a more runs, will turn up the heat on Saha.
