Cheteshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav likely to be part of India A squad for Bangladesh tour ahead of WTC series - Reports
Senior batter Cheteshwar Pujara and pacer Umesh Yadav could be part of the India A squad, which will tour Bangladesh for two first-class matches before the senior sides face each other in a Test series as part of the World Test Championship (WTC).
According to a report by Cricbuzz, the right-handed batter could also potentially lead the side, but nothing has been set in stone as of yet.
The thought process to send the senior duo across the border is to give them credible match practice ahead of the Men in Blue's final away series in the ongoing WTC cycle.
#CheteshwarPujara and #UmeshYadav could play for the the India A side that will tour Bangladesh ahead of the full-fledged tour.
@vijaymirror and @a_atifazam ✍️
cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/1…
The pair were named in the 16-man squad announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on October 31.
Pujara, who reclaimed his middle-order spot in the Indian side on the back of his county stint with Sussex, has been active on the domestic circuit of late.
A great practice session ahead of tomorrow’s game 🏏
#VijayHazareTrophy https://t.co/jz8qwOP4zn
Umesh, on the other hand, was a surprise call-up for the home series against Australia in September. His last Test match appearance came during the tour of South Africa in early 2022. Much like his compatriot Pujara, the right-arm pacer has been prolific in domestic cricket as well as the county championship for Middlesex.
There have been discussions to include senior squad backup wicketkeeper KS Bharat in the squad for match practice, but the ploy is yet to be finalized.
Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran in contention to make it to India A squad against Bangladesh
According to the same report, the India A squad is set to be announced in a couple of days, with BCCI officials and the selection committee having made their way from Australia.
Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan, who has been piling up runs on the domestic circuit across the last 12 months, is set to be included in the squad for the two-match series. While a similarly strong stance is maintained for Bengal batter Abhimanyu Easwaran.
The dates for the tour have not been made official. However, it is understood that the first match will commence by the fourth week of November, with the second and final contest being scheduled for the first week of December.
It is to be noted that Rohit Sharma and Co. will play three ODIs and two Tests from December 4 to December 26, 2022.
India's squad for Bangladesh Tests: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav.
Will the Men in Blue make a strong case for the WTC final with a strong display against Bangladesh next month? Let us know what you think.