Rishabh Pant will be the centre of focus as he leads India A in the first unofficial Test against South Africa A on Thursday. The keeper-batter will return to action for the first time since he suffered a toe injury in the IND vs ENG 4th Test. The southpaw will make his comeback ahead of the series against South Africa at home which will begin from November 14, which marks India’s 2nd World Test Championship (WTC 2025/27) series at home after the West Indies series earlier this month.
IND-A vs SA-A preview:
Having whitewashed West Indies at home, India will be bracing themselves for a tough competition against SA in the two-match series at home. Although South Africa lost to Pakistan in their last series in the sub-continent, they will still prove to be a formidable opposition to India and will look to hone their skills by taking down the India A team. Stars like Pant and Sudharsan, who are a part of the regular Test team, will be hoping to get the better of the Proteas in the preparatory series while the back-up options will try and make an impression in order to secure their spots in the Test XI in the future.
Opening alongside him would be Devdutt Padikkal, who is just one spot away from breaking into the Indian Test team. Currently, India have Sai Sudharsan at number three, while Padikkal continues to be on the bench. This match gives a golden chance for Padikkal to prove a point. He made a 150 for India A in the last series against Australia A and also recorded a 96 in the only Ranji Trophy game he has played so far.
Rajat Patidar, who led Central Zone to a Duleep Trophy win in a campaign where he scored 382 runs at 76.40, including a century in the final, is also in the reckoning for the number 3 spot. While the national selectors continue to back Sudharsan at number 3, the RCB captain could be tried at number 4.
India A Playing XI for 1st Test vs SA A
- N Jagadeesan
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Sai Sudharsan
- Rajat Patidar
- Rishabh Pant (wk)
- Ayush Badoni
- Tanush Kotian
- Manav Suthar
- Saransh Jain
- Anshul Kamboj
- Yash Thakur
India A squad for 1st unofficial Test vs SA-A
Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), Ayush Mhatre, N Jagdeesan (WK), Sai Sudharsan (VC), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar, Anshul Kamboj, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni, Saransh Jain
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