On Monday, October 21, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the squad of India A for the upcoming tour of Australia.
The upcoming India A tour of Australia 2024 will hold a big importance as the players who do well in the matches will boost their chances of inclusion in the main India squad for the five-match Border-Gavaskar 2024-25 series against the Australia National Cricket Team.
Ruturaj Gaikwad to lead India A squad on the Australia tour
The BCCI Men’s Selection Committee has picked a strong 15-member India A squad for the matches on the Australia tour. The star batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad has been handed the leadership responsibility and the veteran batter Abhimanyu Easwaran will serve as his deputy.
It looks like Gaikwad is being seen as one of the captaincy choices by the Indian selectors for the future, as he also captained India C in the Duleep Trophy 2024 and the Rest Of India in the Irani Cup 2024.
Ruturaj Gaikwad will be hoping to deliver a great performance with the bat on the Australia tour to make his case strong for inclusion in the main squad as a backup opener.
Gaikwad’s deputy and domestic cricket superstar Abhimanyu Easwaran will also have a chance to stake his claim in the Indian team for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
The other notable names in the team are Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Reddy, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, and Baba Indrajith- all of whom have been performing quite well in recent times.
There are two wicket-keeping options in the squad – Ishan Kishan and Abishek Porel. Kishan is slowly making his comeback to the Indian team, and the Australia tour will be crucial for him to finally reclaim his place on the national side.
There are two spinners in the team, Manav Suthar and Tanush Kotian, while the pace-bowling unit consists of Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, and Yash Dayal. Indian selectors will keep a close eye on the pace quartet as there might be a need for an extra pacer in the Indian squad for the Border-Gavaskar series, with a question mark on Mohammed Shami’s availability.
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
India A Tour of Australia 2024 Schedule
India A are set to play two first-class matches against Australia A in Mackay and Melbourne. After that, the same squad will take on Rohit Sharma-led Team India in a three-day intra-squad game in Perth.
| India A tour of Australia, 2024 | ||||||
| No. | Date (From) | Date (To) | Start Day | Time (local) | Match | Venue |
| 1 | 31st Oct ’24 | 3rd Nov ’24 | Thursday | 10:00 AM | 1st first-class | GBRA, Mackay |
| 2 | 7th Nov ’24 | 10th Nov ’24 | Thursday | 10:30 AM | 2nd first-class | MCG, Melbourne |
| 3 | 15th Nov ’24 | 17th Nov ’24 | Friday | 10.20 AM | Match Simulation | WACA, Perth |
