India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj was ruled out of the upcoming Duleep Trophy because of illness.
The outings of Abhimanyu Easwaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Prasidh Krishna will be the primary focal points of India A's four-day match against their Australian counterparts
K L Rahul's embarrassing dismissal was the talking point as India A's top batters flopped once again in the second innings of the second unofficial Test against Australia A.
Pacer Anshul Kamboj ended up with an eight-wicket haul as India C took the lead in the Duleep Trophy standings on the basis of the first innings lead against India B here.
Mohammed Shami's return to competitive cricket has been further pushed back after the veteran pacer was not picked in the Bengal Ranji Trophy squad.
In the absence of national regulars, the focus will shift on the likes of Rinku, who was surprisingly not picked for the first round despite having an impressive first-class record.
Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Yash Dayal were on Monday released from the Indian Test side to participate in the Irani Cup in Lucknow.
'Every series is important, as simple as that, when you are playing for your country..'.
The BCCI has also named one inter-squad for a three-day match slated for December 20 to 22.
He steered the team away from trouble and kept grinding. His innings of 80 consisted of 6 fours and 2 maximums.
Ankit Chatterjee, a 15-year-old left-handed batsman, made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bengal, becoming the youngest cricketer from the state to do so.
Gill has been placed as an option for the opening slot alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in case Rohit Sharma is not available for the first Test following the birth of his second child on Friday.
The Ranji Trophy resumes on Thursday, promising a star-studded spectacle as Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant headline a host of big names returning to action.
Bengal veteran Abhimanyu Easwaran was on Saturday named captain of a 13-member India A squad for the upcoming four-day match against visiting England Lions which will be preceded by a warm-up fixture.
As many as four world-class match-winners are expected to bid adieu to the game one by one in the next couple of years and Gautam Gambhir is in an unenviable position as head coach.
Premier middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel and pacer Yash Dayal are set to be released from the Indian team for the Irani Cup in case they are not selected in the playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh, starting September 27 in Kanpur.
Rahul, who was dropped in the middle of England Test series held earlier this year, will be looking to make a comeback in the Indian Test set-up with the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, starting September 19.
Jurel and Nitish Kumar Reddy then safely saw off the bowling to stay 73 for 5 till close of play, taking a 11-run lead.
Rahul will come in place of Baba Indrajith, who scored 9 and 6 and didn't look comfortable at all against pace and bounce, which wasn't exactly 125 clicks.
Australia's batting great Ricky Ponting on Friday said he was 'surprised' by the Indian camp's wording around Rohit Sharma's absence from the Sydney Test.
Arshdeep Singh registered career-best figures of 6/40 to help India D outclass India B by 257 runs.
The likes of Yashaswi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sarfaraz Khan, Nitish Reddy, Harshit Rana, Akash Deep and Prasidh Krishna are on their maiden Test tour of Australia.
Both Pant, who played a key role in India's series victory last time, and Carey are known for their aggressive brand of cricket.
India's batting is a major concern with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggling for runs ahead of the tour of Australia.
The 28-year-old, who was ruled out of Vijay Hazare Trophy because of a split webbing in his right hand, has been picked for touring India 'A' squad to South Africa.
Rinku Singh picked for second round as top stars leave for Test series against Bangladesh. Mayank Agarwal has been named as India A captain in Gill's place.
The cupboard is bare and it will take some time to prepare another cracking line-up that can match the aura of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar is confident that the stylish K L Rahul can excel on Australian tracks, just like he did in South Africa last year.
A six-wicket haul from pacer Mukesh Kumar helped India A stay in the hunt during their first unofficial Test against Australia A at Mackay, Australia on Friday.
While the pace department needs some urgent solutions, the spin has a slightly different landscape.
Devdutt Padikkal hit a stroke-filled 92 not out after right-arm pacer Akash Deep shone bright with the ball with a four-wicket haul as India A took control of the four-day second unofficial Test against England Lions on the opening day in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
'I see them as well rested India players. Could have been selected for the Duleep Trophy.'
Former Australian skipper Aaron Finch said that Alex Carey and Rishabh Pant, two left-handed wicketkeeper-batters will be extremely important for their respective sides during the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.
Gaikwad's supporters argue that his exclusion underscores inconsistencies in selection, with some feeling this sends a discouraging message to players trying to climb the ranks through domestic achievements.
Earlier, India B were all out for 282 in their first innings in reply to D's first essay of 349.
'The IPL provides a different ladder in terms of recognition.' 'If you do well, you will obviously get noticed and it enhances your selection into white-ball formats.'
However, Rana can take a slice of comfort as he completed a four-wicket haul in the opening session of the day to bowl out India A for 290 in their first dig.
Most of the Indian batters struggled while adjusting to the bounce which was a good feet and half more than what they are used to in India which is just above knee roll.
Out-of-form skipper Rohit Sharma's batting position will be in focus against a dangerous Australia
In selectors' radar, Kumar Kushagra gets maiden India A call-up against England Lions
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