The news emerged just hours after Ishan Kishan smashed a brilliant century in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.
Source: Hindustan Times
Ishan Kishan, who was removed from BCCI’s central contract list earlier this year amid concerns that he was ‘prioritizing’ the IPL over domestic cricket, is now on the verge of making a return to the Indian team. The selection committee is expected to include the wicketkeeper-batter for the upcoming tour of Australia. This development came just hours after Ishan smashed a century in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season.
In Jharkhand’s second match of the Elite Group D in the Ranji Trophy, at the ADSA Railways Cricket Ground in Ahmedabad, Ishan scored an impressive 101 off 158 balls, featuring 13 boundaries and two sixes, as his team ended Day 1 at 325 for two. This marked Ishan’s third red-ball century since his return to the format in August, having previously scored tons in the pre-season Buchi Babu tournament and the second round of the Duleep Trophy last month.
According to a PTI report, Ishan kishan is set to join the India A squad for two four-day Tests against Australia A, as well as an intra-squad match with Rohit Sharma’s senior India team. The two Tests against Australia A are scheduled for McKay from October 31 to November 3 and Melbourne from November 7 to 10.
Gaikwad and Easwaran Face New Competition
While the BCCI has not yet officially announced the squad, it’s expected that either Ruturaj Gaikwad or Abhimanyu Easwaran will lead the India A team. Both players are being considered for a possible national call-up, with Rohit Sharma expected to take a break during one of the first two Tests against Australia for personal reasons.
Initially, Gaikwad seemed the favorite, as he’s been in the selectors’ plans for some time. However, Easwaran has strengthened his case with centuries in four consecutive first-class matches over the past month.
Adding to the competition, Tamil Nadu opener Sai Sudharsan entered the spotlight on Friday by scoring a double century during his Ranji Trophy match against Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Sudharsan, who is also set to be part of the India A squad for the Australia tour, remained unbeaten on 202 as Tamil Nadu closed Day 1 at 379 for one. This was Sudharsan’s third red-ball ton in the past two months, following a century for Surrey in his debut County appearance in August and a 111-run knock in the Duleep Trophy.
Likely India A squad for Australia tour:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, B Indrajith, Abishek Porel (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Mukesh Kumar, Ricky Bhui, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Manav Suthar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Tanush Kotian, Yash Dayal.
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