Abhinav Mukund to lead India A in warm-up game against Bangladesh; Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan included in squad
What’s te story?
The India A squad to take on Bangladesh in the two-day warm-up game in Secundrabad was announced earlier today. Abhinav Mukund will captain the 14-man team which also has the likes of Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kisha among others.
In case you didn’t know...
Ahead of their historic maiden Test on Indian soil starting on the 9th of February in Hyderabad, Bangladesh will be playing a warm-up match against India A in Secundrabad, starting from the 5th of February.
The heart of the matter
The squad comprises of several players who have had a staggering Ranji Trophy season. Priyank Panchal, who was the highest run-getter this season, has found a berth as has Rishabh Pant, who scored a triple-hundred against Maharashtra.
Ishan Kishan, who proved to be a key component in Jharkhand’s march to the semifinals also finds a place for himself in the squad. Tamil Nadu allrounder Vijay Shankar will provide the all round option for Mukund as will Hardik Pandya.
In the bowling department, two left-arm spinners have been included in the squad with both Kuldeep Yadav and Shahbaz Nadeem finding a place. Jayant Yadav, who had a such a superb debut series against England, also finds a mention.
It is in the fast bowling line-up that one has seen the inclusion of a few surprising names, however. Chama Milind will be joined by the likes of Aniket Choudhary and Nitin Saini and it really does beg the question why the likes of an Anupam Sanklecha and Mohammad Siraj were not considered despite being among the top three wicket takers in the past season.
What next?
The game provides a great opportunity for the likes of Pandya and Jayant Yadav to get some match practice under their belt before the one-off Test against Bangladesh in Hyderabad. It also gives someone like a Panchal a chance to show he has it in him to play against international bowling as well and if he can get runs in this game like he did during the Ranji season, then his stocks among the selectors would surely be on the rise.
Sportskeeda’s take
The squad named for the warm-up resembles a formidable look and each of the members, who gets a chance to play in the game will look to put forth a good performance in the game and increase his chances at earning a berth in the Indian squad in the future.