KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel to join India A squad to play unofficial Test ahead of BGT 2024-25
India A will play the second unofficial Test against Australia A, starting on Thursday next week.
Star India batter KL Rahul along with Dhruv Jurel will proceed to Australia earlier than the rest of the India squad to join the Indian A side to get some vital practice in a bid to simulate the playing conditions down under. Notably, the decision was taken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in the wake of a shoddy batting performance leading to a historic series whitewash inflicted by New Zealand in Mumbai.
For the unversed, Team India will be touring Australia for a five-match Test series. The coveted Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 is scheduled to begin from November 22, in Perth. Meanwhile, for the players in concern, KL Rahul played only the first Test but had a lacklustre time on the crease. Jurel only played the role of a substitute wicketkeeper after Rishabh Pant ended up hurting his knee against New Zealand.
Hence, as per Indian Express, it was revealed that the BCCI selection committee have asked both players to leave for Australia on Tuesday morning. In the follow-up, both Rahul and Jurel will join India A squad which are to clash with the Australian A side in the second unofficial Test, starting on Thursday, in Melbourne, next week. While the rest of Team India will reach the Kangaroo land in two batches. Besides, skipper Rohit Sharma said earlier in the day that the players reaching early will give ample time to simulate and better prepare against any host nation away from home.
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“We are travelling with a squad of 19 players and only three days were allotted to us. I don’t know how much workload we can get in those three days in terms of getting everyone prepared. The management feels that we’d rather have a match simulation where batters can spend more time in the middle and the bowlers can bowl a lot of balls. That is something that we as a team feel more comfortable doing rather than playing a practice game because game time is not a problem,” said Rohit after losing the Test series against New Zealand, on Sunday.
“If a batter gets out, he has to sit in the dugout for the whole day, and doesn’t get too much batting done. However, in a match simulation, the batters can go out and play 50-70 balls and then if we feel he’s had enough, we can retire him out and get someone else in. That is the plan,” the Indian Captain concluded.
India will start BGT 2024-25 campaign at Optus Stadium
Meanwhile, Team India will be taking part in the training sessions at the iconic WACA ground. The WACA is the old Test venue of Perth, which is also known for being the fastest wicket on the planet. However, the Indian unit will be starting their Border-Gavaskar Trophy campaign against Australia at the Optus Stadium instead of the usual old venue.
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