Six members of the Australia-bound Test squad—Murali Vijay, Prithvi Shaw, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Parthiv Patel – will fly out to New Zealand for a four-day match between India A and New Zealand A, which will be held between November 16 and 19.
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This will be played before they join the rest of the Test players Down Under, so Rohit will join the team on the eve of the first T20I against Australia.
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After Rohit failed to make the cut for the England Test series, the chairman of the selection committee, MSK Prasad, justified his selection stating, "With regard to Rohit, we felt he is a very good backfoot player. His game is suited for Australia."
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The selectors also recalled Parthiv Patel, who has been out of the national side for nearly 12 months. The last time he was with the Indian team was during the South Africa tour last year. “He was not picked for the Afghanistan and England Tests. But subsequently, he played (well) in Duleep Trophy. He batted and kept well. We have brought in youth and experience; we wanted it because it will be a high-intensity series. He can bat anywhere in the top-order," Prasad noted.
The team announcement, however, was delayed by more than two hours after the BCCI acting secretary and the convener, Amitabh Choudhary, arrived late due to being stuck in traffic.
By the time he arrived, India A coach, Rahul Dravid—who attended the meeting—had already left the venue.
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