India A tour of Australia: Ruturaj Gaikwad to Nitish Reddy – key players to watch out for

Here’s a list of players to look out for:

Ruturaj Gaikwad (C)

Despite being named the captain of the India A team, Gaikwad was overlooked as the back-up opener for the Border Gavaskar Trophy as the selectors opted for Bengal’s Abhimanyu Easwaran instead.

Gaikwad has had a patchy run as an opener in domestic First-Class cricket and has not found his way back to the Test squad after being ruled out from India’s tour to South Africa last year with a finger fracture. The Chennai Super Kings captain had a sedate Duleep Trophy campaign, scoring 232 runs in six innings.

Gaikwad also misfired as captain in Rest of India’s defeat in the Irani Cup against Mumbai earlier this month, scoring nine runs. However, Gaikwad will be buoyed by his last outing for Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy, wherein he scored a quickfire 145 in the second-innings against Mumbai.

Abhimanyu Easwaran (VC)

Having been named deputy of the India A squad and later named the back-up to Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal in India’s BGT squad, Easwaran will be gearing up to leave a positive mark during the A tour. Slated to appear in his 100th First-Class match in Mackay, Easwaran boasts of a tremendous FC record, amassing 7638 at a 49.92 average and 27 centuries. On a century spree, Easwaran has struck four tons and a double hundred in his last six FC games dating back to mid-February.

Nitish Kumar Reddy

On a dream run, 21-year-old Nitish Kumar Reddy has bolted into India’s 18-member squad for the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Nitish’s first challenge will be to adapt to the Aussie conditions with the India A side. The Andhra all-rounder made his T20I debut last month against Bangladesh and showcased his exceptional batting skills with a brutal 34-ball 74, laced with seven sixes. Nitish also picked up two wickets in the match.

A record-breaking batter in domestic age-group circuit, Nitish has emerged as Andhra’s leading pacer over the last two seasons in the Ranji Trophy, amassing over 50 wickets. While his red-ball bowling has suffered a slump since a return from injury in early September, Nitish will be keen to make an early impression Down Under.

Navdeep Saini

Sidelined by injuries and other fitness concerns, the 31-year-old Navdeep Saini has made a positive turnaround since the start of the 2024-25 domestic season. Initially overlooked for the Duleep Trophy, Saini came in as a late replacement and picked up 14 wickets, the third-most this edition. The right-arm quick, who last wore the whites for India during the previous BGT edition in Australia in 2020-21, will be watched closely as India appear short on experience in their seam department in Mohammad Shami’s absence. Should Shami fail to secure a late re-entry into the Test squad, Saini can be one of the primary bowlers on the management’s radar.

India A squad for Australia Tour
Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Abhimanyu Easwaran (vc), Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Baba Indrajith, Ishan Kishan (wk), Abishek Porel (wk), Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal, Navdeep Saini, Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian

Australia A squad for India A seriesNathan McSweeney (c), Cameron Bancroft, Scott Boland, Jordan Buckingham, Cooper Connolly, Ollie Davies, Marcus Harris, Sam Konstas, Nathan McAndrew, Michael Neser, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Jimmy Peirson, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Mark Steketee, Beau Webster.