Two India outcasts have showcased their mettle in the ongoing India A match against Australia A, potentially paving a way back to the Indian side.
India
A and Australia A have clashed in a competitive unofficial Test at the Ekana Stadium, Lucknow. Australia A posted a formidable first innings total of 532 for 6 declared, powered by a strong batting lineup including a century from Sam Konstas and vital contributions from other top-order batters.
India A struggled initially, trailing by 416 runs at the start of day three but showed resilience since. Sai Sudharsan made an important 73 runs before getting out lbw, and N Jagadeesan contributed 64. Their unbroken partnership of 181 runs helped India A reduce the deficit significantly.
After Abhimanyu Easwaran scored 44 runs and captain Shreyas Iyer scored just 8, two other India A players have been the stars of the show.
Devdutt Padikkal has roared back to form as he has notched up a century on Friday (September 19). The southpaw is currently unbeaten on 104 runs. Along with him, Dhruv Jurel is also unbeaten and looking strong on 139 runs. Padikkal and Jurel have stitched a partnership of 226 runs so far, as India A are 448 for 4 at the time of writing this piece.
India A duo make strong case for Return
Devdutt Padikkal has rallied back in the race for a place in the India team with his brilliant knock. With a two-match Test series against West Indies coming up, the Karnataka player will be in the selectors' minds for a place. Along with that, Dhruv Jurel is poised to be India's first-choice wicketkeeper for the series as Rishabh Pant still recovers from his foot injury. Jurel was left out of the Asia Cup squad, with a preference for Jitesh Sharma over him, but in the Test format, he looks set to retain his place
Despite the poor outing, Shreyas Iyer is expected to be part of the squad as well. Narayan Jagadeesan was called up to the England series after Pant's injury, and he has also done no harm to his reputation. The Tamil Nadu player had a tremendous outing in the Duleep Trophy, and has now solidified his stake in this match.
