India A vs Australia A: Easwaran, Nitish Reddy, Prasidh to be under close scrutiny
IMAGE: India’s think tank will be eager to see how these players perform under the Australian sun. Photograph: Kind Courtesy Nitish Reddy/Instagram
The performances of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Prasidh Krishna will be the central points of interest as India A prepares to take on Australia A in a four-day match commencing Thursday in Mackay, Australia.
Easwaran, Nitish, and Prasidh are not only part of this match but have also been named in the Indian squad for the highly anticipated five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, which kicks off on November 22. With the challenging Australian conditions ahead, the team’s leadership will be keenly observing their adaptability and performance.
Among these players, Easwaran’s performance takes on heightened importance, as the 29-year-old opener could step in as a potential replacement for captain Rohit Sharma, should Sharma need to miss a game for personal reasons during the series.
As the vice-captain of India A, Easwaran brings considerable experience, having played 99 First-Class matches, wherein he amassed a remarkable 7,638 runs, including 27 centuries and 29 fifties. His ability to handle pressure will be vital in this tour.
Easwaran’s recent form is particularly promising, as he has been in exceptional touch, scoring 157 and 116 runs for India B in the Duleep Trophy. He also shone with an impressive 191 runs against Mumbai while representing Rest of India in the Irani Trophy and capped off his domestic season with a solid unbeaten 127 against Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy.
With this impressive sequence behind him, Easwaran heads into the match against Australia A feeling confident, although he will have to quickly adjust to the vastly different playing conditions expected in Australia compared to those he faced in India.
In contrast, Nitish Reddy’s First-Class statistics are not as glowing; he was selected for his perceived potential as a pace-bowling all-rounder, although his batting remains his primary strength. This year in the Duleep Trophy, Nitish struggled, registering two ducks and a top score of just 40 in five matches, while only taking two wickets.
However, selectors have shown their trust in him, choosing him over more seasoned players like Shardul Thakur, who is returning from injury and playing domestically again. Thus, this upcoming match offers Nitish a crucial chance to demonstrate his capabilities against a formidable Australia A squad that features heavyweights like Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris, Michael Neser, Cooper Connolly, and Scott Boland.
Prasidh Krishna enters the contest as a late addition to the India A squad, having replaced Yash Dayal. The Karnataka pace bowler is on a quest to regain his rhythm following his injury comeback, having taken only seven wickets across as many innings in recent matches throughout the Duleep Trophy, Irani Cup, and Ranji Trophy.
Selectors may have been influenced by Prasidh’s height and its theoretical advantages on Australian pitches. This game presents him a vital opportunity to showcase his skills and prepare for the possibility of being called upon as the third seamer alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, or filling in if frontline pacers need to rest as part of workload management during the tour.
Apart from the trio of Easwaran, Nitish, and Prasidh, key players like skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, emerging top-order talent B Sai Sudharsan, and pacers Yash Dayal and Navdeep Saini will also look to make strong contributions. They aim to keep themselves in contention for selection in case the need arises for the senior team. Ishan Kishan, the wicketkeeper batter, is also immensely motivated to take full advantage of this opportunity, especially after regaining favor with the selectors.
Teams (from): India A: Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Abhimanyu Easwaran (vice-capt), Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, B Indrajith, Abishek Porel (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Mukesh Kumar, Ricky Bhui, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Manav Suthar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna.
Australia A: Nathan McSweeney (c), Cameron Bancroft, Scott Boland, Jordan Buckingham, Cooper Connolly, Ollie Davies, Brendan Doggett, Marcus Harris, Sam Konstas, Nathan McAndrew, Michael Neser, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Jimmy Peirson, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Beau Webster.
Match starts at 5.30am IST.
