New Delhi: With India Test squad for the West Indies series set to be announced later today, some players who are in a tussle for an Indian call-up had a forgettable outing against Australia A in Lucknow on Wednesday, September 24. The struggle of players in the current game might have an impact on their selection chances.
Australia A posted a total of 420 runs in the first innings, where Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna picked up only one wicket with an economy rate of over 4. In response, big guns failed to capitalise in the second innings as KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel, and Devdutt Padikkal failed miserably against Australia’s inexperienced bowling attack.
Rahul opened the innings with N Jagadeesan and played a scratchy innings of 11 runs in 24 deliveries. He was caught behind against Will Sutherland. The senior Indian opener had an impressive outing in India’s last away tour against England, scoring 532 runs with two hundreds and half-centuries.
India’s stand-in skipper Dhruv Jurel played a brilliant innings of 140 runs in the first unofficial Test, but in the second Test fell for just 1 run. With Rishabh Pant opting out of the West Indies series, Jurel will be the first-choice wicket-keeper for the Indian team.
Alongside Rahul and Jurel, who will most probably find a place in the Indian squad, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Devdutt Padikkal are in the fray for a call-up but were dismissed for 1 run each in the ongoing Test series.
The top order’s failure will be in the minds of selectors to make a final call on the players.
Positives from ongoing unofficial Test series
Narayan Jagadeesan is turning out to be a second-choice wicket-keeper in the absence of Pant. He displayed a good rellisance by scoring a half-century in the first Test and a gritty 38-run knock in the second Test.
The Tamil Nadu star was also called up in the final Test against England, after Pant was declared unfit for the fifth Test match.
Sai Sudarshan is playing brilliantly in the series, scoring two back-to-back half-centuries. The left-hand batter will be eyeing to retain the no. 3 position, as he played at the spot in India’s last Test match.