After the recent series loss to New Zealand in the home Test series, the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia is now the Indian cricket team’s only hope to stay eligible for the WTC.
New Zealand recorded a historic Test series win in India with a whitewash. Meanwhile, the India A squad is in Australia, playing an unofficial Test match against Australia A.
Ruturaj Gaikwad captained the India A squad, but Australia A won the first unofficial Test match by 7 wickets. The batting unit remains a major concern.
Youngsters Devdutt Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan stood out, lifting the team with steady batting and emerging as the leading run-scorers for India A in the first unofficial Test match.
As per the reports, BCCI is sending KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel to join the India A team in Australia for the 2nd Unoffocial Test Match.
Dhruv Jurel is expected to replace Ishan Kishan in the second unofficial Test match, which is set to start on November 7.
Dhruv Jurel was benched for the Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, with Rishabh Pant being India’s primary wicketkeeper. Additionally, KL Rahul was dropped after playing three games in the home season.
Officials want both Jurel and Rahul to get some game time to maximize their potential.
Rohit Sharma is likely to miss the series opener due to personal reasons. Jasprit Bumrah will lead the Indian National Cricket Team in the Perth Test match, starting November 22.