3 players who were unlucky to be left out of India A squad for Australia series ft. Rinku Singh
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have named a fifteen-member India A squad for the upcoming tour of Australia with Ruturaj Gaikwad given the responsibility of leading the side. He might also serve as a backup opener in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as Rohit Sharma is all set to miss one of the first two Tests for personal reasons.
The likes of Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan will also audition for that role while turning out for the A side, while the rest of the players will also get a golden opportunity to test out their skills in Australian conditions.
Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Baba Indrajith will form the middle order, while Ishan Kishan and Abishek Porel have been picked as the wicket-keepers.
The seam attack looks strong with left-arm options in the form of Yash Dayal and Khaleel Ahmed. Dayal was recently part of the Indian squad for the Bangladesh Test series but didn't get a game. Meanwhile, Mukesh Kumar and Navdeep Saini, who have played for India in red-ball cricket will also look to make their presence felt.
Just before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the senior Indian team will play a three-day practice match against the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side at the Waca from November 15. While the A squad looks a strong one on paper, a few big names failed to find a spot in the squad.
Let us have a look at three players who were unlucky to miss out on the India A squad for the Australia series:
# 3. Anshul Kamboj
Among the fast bowlers who narrowly missed out on a place in the India A squad was Anshul Kamboj. He has been a top performer for Haryana in the domestic circuit and was the leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded Duleep Trophy.
He troubled several top-quality batters during the tournament and finished with 16 wickets in three matches at a stupendous average of 17.12. Kamboj is a natural hit-the-deck bowler and he could have been a handful on Australian decks.
He is currently playing for India A in the ACC Emerging Asia Cup and bagged three crucial wickets in the game against the Pakistan Shaheens. Despite being a part of the Emerging Asia Cup, Kamboj will be disappointed in missing out on the opportunity to bowl in Australian pitches which might have suited his style of bowling.
# 2. Riyan Parag
A superstar in the making, the resurgence of Riyan Parag in the last year and so has been remarkable to say the least. He has been a consistent performer for Assam at the first-class level and has played several match-winning knocks in his brief career so far.
Even in the Duleep Trophy, Parag looked in brilliant touch during his brief stays but couldn't quite convert his starts into big ones. Parag scored stroke-filled 30s in the first game against India B.
He finally made his presence felt during the last match against India C, scoring a well-composed 73. While his overall first-class record is nothing to write home about, it's the impact he creates which would have made him an ideal pick in the India A squad.
His average of 36.20 might not be brilliant but his ability to absorb pressure, especially while playing for a team like Assam, which hardly has any other top player in its ranks, makes him a good future option.
# 1. Rinku Singh
Many in the past have labelled Rinku Singh as a white-ball sensation, but his first-class record is something even Rinku is proud of. An average of 54 is never easy to maintain for a period of 49 matches while playing on challenging wickets.
Playing for Uttar Pradesh, Rinku has scored 3268 runs in his first-class career so far, with seven centuries and 21 half-centuries. Even in the recent Ranji Trophy game against Haryana, he scored a brilliant 89 in a pressure situation. He just played a solitary game for India B in the Duleep Trophy and couldn't make an impact.
The selectors should not just look at Rinku from the T20 point of view as his red-ball numbers are brilliant. He has all the attributes to become a permanent feature of the Indian Test squad, especially in the lower middle order. With the likes of KL Rahul struggling to get his act together, Rinku Singh could emerge as a backup for that position.