India-A will look to continue its domination when the first four-day ‘Test’ against South Africa-A begins at the Sports Hub here on Monday.
The rain-curtailed ODI series was one-sided, with India-A showcasing its depth and skill to blow away the visitors. A fact which was admitted by losing captain Temba Bavuma, who said his team struggled to meet the demands of the shorter version.
New skipper
However, Bavuma is not part of the ‘Test’ squad which will be led by Aiden Markram. The South Africa-A skipper has spent some time getting acclimatised.
After attending a spin camp in Bengaluru, Markram will be better prepared to neutralise the threat from Shahbaz Nadeem and K. Gowtham.
Apart from Markram, the squad comprises five others — Theunis de Bruyn, Lungi Ngidi, Senuran Muthuswamy, Dane Piedt and Heinrich Klaasen — who are part of the senior Test squad.
A few of the players from India-A squad like wicketkeeper K.S. Bharat, Shubman Gill, Shivam Dube and Vijay Shankar will be in focus during the series.
Vijay Shankar will be keen to prove his fitness.
The trio of medium-pacers Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj and Tushar Deshpande will provide different challenges to the visiting batsmen.
With rain giving way to bright sunshine over the last three days, it could well turn out to be an interesting match.
Jalaj Saxena has been added to the squad as cover for K. Gowtham, who is unwell and being monitored by the BCCI medical team.
The teams (from):
India-A: Shubman Gill (Capt.), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Anmolpreet Singh, Ricky Bhui, Ankeet Bawane, K.S. Bharat, K. Gowtham, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Vijay Shankar and Jalaj Saxena.
South Africa-A: Aiden Markram (Capt.), Theunis de Bruyn, Zubayr Hamza, Lungi Ngidi, George Linde, Pieter Malan, Eddie Moore, Senuran Muthusamy, Marco Jansen, Dane Piedt, Wiaan Mulder, Heinrich Klaasen, Lutho Sipamla, and Khaya Zondo.