Ajinkya Rahane, Murali Vijay likely to Play for India A ahead of England Tests
Jan 9, 2019 at 3:47 PM
One of the most anticipated series of 2018 is India’s Test tour of England. The selectors are yet to name the squad, and therefore the door is pretty much open for the top contenders. Test specialists Ajinkya Rahane and Murali Vijay are likely to play in India A’s final four-day game against England Lions.
The duo had already reached England and are preparing for the five-match Test series.
The Tests starts from August 1 while the practice game will take place on Monday onwards in Worcester. India skipper Virat Kohli had earlier expressed his disappointment on not having ample time for the preparation.
And in a move to make things work, the BCCI have sent in the Test probables ahead of the scheduled departure.
“There will be a few seniors — among Test specialists, who will leave for the UK in early June along with Rahul’s India A team. I can’t say how many — anything between two to four senior team players will be there from the start of A tour. A few will play the Afghanistan Test match and then leave for England. But yes, at least 7 to 8 players, who are all Test team specialists will have to be in England in June,” Rai had said.
Saha uncertain for Tests
According to recent reports, Dinesh Karthik may stay back for the Tests. Wriddhiman Saha is yet to recover from an injury.
Karthik has been in a good run in limited-overs cricket and has scored runs in the longer format in the Indian domestic circuit. Apart from him, Parthiv Patel stands a chance to earn a call-up.
On the other hand, spinner Kuldeep Yadav is eyeing a Test spot after his brilliance in the limited-overs format. The spinner has been phenomenal against England as the batsmen struggled to put bat to ball.