There is a lot of excitement around India’s upcoming Test tour of Australia. The Rohit Sharma-led side will travel Down Under for five Test matches, starting November 22 in Perth.
India have won the last two Test series on Australia soil, while they have held onto the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy since March 2017.
With less than a month remaining for the marquee series, the discussion around India’s squad has already started.
It is reported that the BCCI selectors are looking for a fast-bowling all-rounder for the Australia tour with the likes of Nitish Reddy and Shardul Thakur as front-runners for the spot in the Indian squad.
According to a report published in The Indian Express, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is set to meet in Pune after the second Test between India and New Zealand and the Indian squad will depart for Perth on November 10.
Considering the duration of the tour, the Indian team will be travelling with a large contingent including net bowlers.
Shardul was instrumental in India’s famous victory over the Aussies at the Gabba in 2022. But he has been out of India’s Test side ever since the tour of South Africa in December 2023. Still, he has been a regular feature in the domestic circuit and played a decisive role in Mumbai’s record-extending 42nd Ranji Trophy title earlier this year.
On the other hand, the 21-year-old Nitish is still fairly raw. The Andhra all-rounder, who made his India debut during the recently held T20I series against Bangladesh, has the experience of 21 First-Class matches to his name so far.
The selectors will be keeping a close tab on Nitish Reddy’s performance during India A’s tour of Australia, starting October 31. They will want to assess whether the youngster can handle bowling 10-15 overs in a day and also impress with the bat.
The intra-squad match between India A and Team India next month will also be a chance for Reddy to impress the team management ahead of the Australia series.
The report suggests that both Reddy and Thakur will compete for a single spot, and it will be interesting to see whom the selectors pick as their fast-bowling all-rounder in the Indian squad.
(The Indian Express Inputs)
