AUS v IND 2020-21: Warm-up matches to witness big names from India, Australia camps

Australia A will be taking on the Indians in two three-day matches before the Test series.

Tim Paine, the Australian captain, and eight of the players that were on Thursday (November 12) picked for the Test series against India, will be seen taking part in the first of two warm-up fixtures that precede the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting December 17. 

Australia A side will be facing the visitors in one red-ball fixture at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney from December 6-8 and a D/N contest at the SCG from December 11-13, which will enable preparations of all the big names within the Indian camp for their first away outing in the pink-ball version. 

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Besides Paine, Travis Head, Will Pucovski, Cameron Green, James Pattinson, Michael Neser, Sean Abbott and Mitchell Swepson will be seen in the first warm-up game. Most of them, however, are expected to skip the second one and head to Adelaide for the start of the four-match Test series. 

"Both (three-day) matches, which are expected to have first-class status and will be close to Test standard given the quality of players involved, will be live-streamed on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app," reported cricket.com.au. 

As the first match clashes with the final T20I at the SCG, India captain Virat Kohli, ace quick Jasprit Bumrah are unlikely to part in it. But Test specialists Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajiinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin, apart from Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill, could definitely play. 

It seems certain that Kohli, Bumrah, and other prominent all-format Indian names will play the D/N tour game as it will be their only taste of some long-form cricket before the Tests. Kohli, especially, available for just the first Test, would want to prepare well and make his two innings count in Adelaide. 

Pacer Ishant Sharma, not yet reincluded in the Test squad, is likely to resume bowling from November 18, the date set reportedly by the NCA in Bangalore. The selectors will ask Ishant to prove his fitness in the warm-up matches after completing rehabilitation for muscle tear in India. 

Rohit Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha could also feature in at least one of the tour matches. Both Saha and Rohit, not part of the white-ball squad, are recovering from hamstring injuries. 

Australia A squad: Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Joe Burns, Jackson Bird, Alex Carey (wk), Harry Conway, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Nic Maddinson, Mitchell Marsh (subject to fitness), Michael Neser, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Mark Steketee, Will Sutherland, Mitchell Swepson.