Reports: Pujara and Umesh Yadav to feature in India A squad for Bangladesh tour
Cheteshwar Pujara could be a part of India A squad for the upcoming Bangladesh tour to gain some match fitness. The veteran batter remains a key part of India’s red-ball team but hasn’t played any First-Class cricket since Saurashtra’s Irani Cup defeat against the Rest of India in early October this year. Pujara is part of India’s 16-member Test squad for the Bangladesh tour that was announced in October.
India play three ODIs and two Test matches on the Bangladesh tour starting from December 4. First Test will be played at Chattogram on December 14, so it’s almost a month for Pujara to gain match fitness. He has been a regular performer in domestic tournaments as he played his part in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and is up there in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2022 with Saurashtra.
But according to a report from a cricket news website, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking to include the player in India A squad for the Bangladesh tour. BCCI is yet to announce A squad for the tour but it has been reported that Pujara might be leading the squad for a two-match series. India A squad will depart for Bangladesh on November 20, so the management is likely to announce the sqaud on Friday (November 18).
Umesh Yadav and Sarfaraz Khan are likely to feature in India A sqaud:
The same report also suggests that the experienced pacer Umesh Yadav could also play in India A squad. Umesh last played Test cricket in January 2022 and First Class cricket in July but has been part of Vidarbha’s squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Hazare Trophy this year. He is struggling for consistency across domestic cricket and definitely needs lifting ahead of India’s tour to Bangladesh.
Sarfaraz Khan, the 25-year-old Mumbai batter, is also expected to make India A squad for the Bangladesh tour. He finished the Ranji Trophy season as the leading run-scorer with 982 runs from just nine innings at an average of 122.75 but was ignored for the senior squad selection.
India’s Test squad for Bangladesh: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav.
