India-A bolstered by Kuldeep Yadav

First of the two unofficial Tests against Australia-A begins on Sunday.

Mayank Agarwal will have to set aside the disappointment of not making it to the Asia Cup squad and focus on the first unofficial Test against Australia-A which commences here on Sunday.

The likes of Mayank Agarwal, Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Siraj will have to set aside the disappointment of not making it to the Asia Cup squad and focus on the first unofficial Test against Australia-A which commences here on Sunday.

Skipper Shreyas and his India-A players can draw hope from the fact that West Indies arrives in India next month for a tour comprising two Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is. A good showing here could earn an international call-up for the home series.

READ| Kuldeep sent home with Asia Cup in mind

For inspiration, the home team only needs to look at left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed — their India-A teammate for the recent Quadrangular one-day tournament — who was selected for Asia Cup duty.

The India-A squad is bolstered by the inclusion of chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav. The national selectors believe that Kuldeep will benefit from this First Class experience ahead of the Asia Cup and the West Indies series.

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Shubman set for debut

Punjab batsman Shubman Gill, 19, is set to make his India-A four-day debut. Pacer Rajneesh Gurbani, who impressed for India Red in the Duleep Trophy, is back with the India-A side.

For Australia-A, this two-match series serves as a chance to catch the national selectors’ attention ahead of the Pakistan Test series in the UAE.

Australia-A captain Mitchell Marsh is in line to get a berth for that tour, and he is using this visit to get match-fit. An ankle injury in March has kept him out of action, but Marsh explained that he has made a full recovery.

Southpaw Matt Renshaw, who competed in the Quadrangular tournament, misses this outing due to a hamstring strain.

The squads:

India-A: Shreyas Iyer (Capt.), Mayank Agarwal, R. Samarth, A. Easwaran, Ankit Bawne, Shubman Gill, K.S. Bharat (wk), Shahbaz Nadeem, Kuldeep Yadav, K. Gowtham, Rajneesh Gurbani, Navdeep Saini, Ankit Rajpoot and Mohammed Siraj.

Australia-A: Mitchell Marsh (Capt.), Alex Carey (wk), Ashton Agar, Brendan Doggett, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Joel Paris, Kurtis Patterson, Mitch Swepson and Chris Tremain.