Ajinkya Rahane, Ankit Bawne to lead India A against England Lions

Ajinkya Rahane and Ankit Bawne will lead India A in the five-match one-day series against England Lions, scheduled to be played in Thiruvananthapuram from 23rd of this month. Rahane will lead the side in the first three games before Bawne takes the responsibility for the remaining two games. The selectors have named a strong squad, including the likes of Anmolpreet Singh, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur.

After the conclusion of the five-match series, the tourists will play a couple of four-day games against Board President’s XI. Jharkhand’s wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan will lead the team in both the games. The first match will be played in Wayanad from February 7th while the second game will be hosted by Mysore, from February 13. Prior to the games, England Lions will also play a two-day warm-up match against BP XI, from February 3.

Chance for Rahane to shine:

At a time when India is facing a middle-conundrum, naming Rahane in the India A is a big indication that the team management is looking at him as an option ahead of the World Cup. The axing of Ambati Rayudu from the playing eleven for the series-decider 3rd ODI against Australia was a big indication that the number four spot is not settled yet.

Rahane, who last played an ODI during the tour of South Africa last year, was a regular in ODIs not very long ago. He was initially a middle-order batsman before being used as a floater. The right-hander was one of India’s most successful batsmen in the last World Cup. He batted at number four and scored an impressive 208 runs. A good outing in the upcoming competition might open the doors for him to press his case for a spot in the World Cup squad.

Here are the India A squads that will face England Lions

India A squad for 1st, 2nd & 3rd one-day fixtures: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Anmolpreet Singh, Rituraj Gaekwad, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Ankit Bawne, Ishan Kishan (WK), Krunal Pandya, Axar Patel, Mayank Markande, Jayant Yadav, Siddarth Kaul, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini

India A squad for 4th & 5th one-day fixtures: Ankit Bawne (C), Rituraj Gaekwad, Anmolpreet Singh, Ricky Bhui, Siddhesh Lad, Himmat Singh, Rishabh Pant (WK), Deepak Hooda, Axar Patel, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Avesh Khan, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur

BP XI for two-day warm-up game: Ishan Kishan (C & WK), Akshath Reddy, Dhruv Shorey, Ricky Bhui, Siddhesh Lad, Rinku Singh, Priyam Garg, Saurabh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Aniket Choudhary, Ankit Rajpoot, Rajesh Mohanty

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