India A begin NZ tour with three four-day games before the Test series
India's red-ball build-up for the New Zealand tour starts this weekend. India A play three four-day matches against New Zealand A, beginning at Lincoln on October 24. The senior side's two-Test series opens in Wellington on November 19, so this leg is a chance for Test regulars to get used to the conditions first.
The fixtures are in Lincoln and Christchurch. The first match runs from October 24 to 27 at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. The second is at Hagley Oval in Christchurch from October 31 to November 3. The series ends back at Lincoln from November 7 to 10. Play starts at 10:30am local time each day, which is 3:00am IST. Indian viewers will need an early start or a late night.
The squad has a lot of senior experience. The selectors have picked Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar, Akash Deep and Anshul Kamboj, and all of them are also in the senior Test squad. Dhruv Jurel, the backup wicketkeeper in the Test side, captains the A team. That gives him a chance to lead a group that includes several senior players.
The rest of the squad is Ravichandran Smaran, Auqib Nabi, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Yash Rathod and Mukesh Kumar. Smaran, Nabi, Suthar, Choudhary, Rathod and Mukesh are not in the senior Test squad, so these games are their chance to show what they can do.
The main selection issue is Rishabh Pant. He was picked subject to fitness, but a left-side strain from the Irani Cup, where he captained Rest of India, has ruled him out of the first two games. The board said he is recovering under its medical team and that a decision on the third match will come later. Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra has joined the squad as cover for the first two games.
Pant's progress matters beyond this series. He is also in the senior Test squad, again subject to fitness clearance. Missing two of the three A games means he has less match time before Wellington, and the third game in Lincoln may be his only chance.
The senior squad shows how much importance India are giving to this tour. Shubman Gill is captain and Rahul is vice-captain. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Nitish Kumar Reddy are also named. The Test series has two matches, with the second at Christchurch from November 27. The A games let the batters face the Kookaburra ball on New Zealand surfaces, and the A-team bowlers and keepers also get time in the middle.
The A tour is not just a warm-up. Akash Deep and Kamboj are returning to the Test squad, and a few good spells in Lincoln and Christchurch would help them. For Jaiswal, Rahul and Padikkal, the aim is to spend time at the crease and get used to the extra seam movement.
These matches are unofficial Tests, so they do not count towards any international records. They still count as first-class matches, and the runs and wickets will matter to selectors for both squads.
India A start on Saturday in Lincoln, and the first signs of how the Test batting order is shaping up could come within four days.