Team India has requested the BCCI to send a total of four extra fast bowlers to South Africa so as the batsmen can get proper practice during the net sessions, a report in Ahmedabad Mirror suggests.
“It will serve a double purpose. The young pacers will learn a lot by travelling with the team and bowling to international batsmen. It will also reduce the workload of our pacers in the nets. The request is to keep them for at least three weeks,” a source told the newspaper.
The four pacers who have been selected are Delhi’s Navdeep Saini, Hyderabad’s Mohammed Siraj, Kerala’s Basil Thampi and Madhya Pradesh’s Avesh Khan. While Saini is now a regular member of India A, he was also in contention for getting selected in the team for South Africa Test series, but the presence of Jasprit Bumrah meant he got overlooked.
Basil Thampi has recently been selected in India’s T20I side and might make his international debut against Sri Lanka. Coming to Siraj, he has played one T20I against New Zealand and would be travelling to South Africa with the Test side as well as part of the fast bowler’s lot.
The last name on the list is former India U-19 player Avesh Khan. Despite getting regular chances by team India selectors in various practice games, he is not a permanent in Madhya Pradesh Ranji Trophy side and has just played eight first-class and one T20 game – which cam in IPL 2017. He was a member of Board President’s XI squad against New Zealand and Australia as well. Surely, the Indian selectors are looking forward to grooming this pacer.
It is to be noted that Saini and Thampi are playing the Ranji Trophy quarter-final at present. Thampi will have to leave the stateside, irrespective of the fact whether Kerala wins or lose their knockout game, as he has to join Indian camp while Delhi would not like to release the leader of the pace attack, Saini, in case they march ahead in the tournament.
The release of Saini from Delhi Squad will depend on how far Delhi will go. The ongoing quarterfinal game is expected to be the last game of Ranji Trophy 2017/18 for Thampi due to his international commitments and to be with the Indian team in South Africa.
Video of the day –1
