Picking the strongest India A playing 11 for four-day matches vs Australia, 2024 ft. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan 

India are scheduled to tour Australia for a highly anticipated edition of the Border-Gavaskar series, but the lead-up to the five-match series will feature India 'A' side. Led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, the 15-man side will play two four-day clashes against Australia A, along with an intra-squad match against the Men in Blue, to assist their preparation for the series.

The selectors have had a headache narrowing down the candidates given that there was a large pool amid the start of India's domestic season. The best performers of the Duleep Trophy, the Irani Cup, and the first couple of Ranji Trophy rounds were considered for the challenging assignment.

While all 15 players are bound to claim a chance over the course of the three red-ball fixtures, India A would preferably put out their strongest possible playing XI up front to challenge the Nathan McSweeney-led side.

India A squad for Australia tour

Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran (VC), Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Baba Indrajith, Ishan Kishan (wk), Abishek Porel (wk), Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal, Navdeep Saini, Manav Suthar, and Tanush Kotian.

On that note, let us take a look at the strongest possible playing XI that India A can put out for their tour clashes against Australia A.

---

Top Order: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Sai Sudharsan

Ruturaj Gaikwad will have the task of leading India A, and also resting a case for the main squad, given Rohit Sharma's potential unavailability for the first Test. The opening batter is in imperious form at the moment too. He scored a sublime counter-attacking ton against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, and also had a decent Irani Cup campaign while leading India C.

Arguably the most in-form batter in all of India at the moment, Abhimanyu Easwaran, has been relentless in making his case to be India's reserve opener at least. He is on a streak of four consecutive hundreds, and has an excellent chance of making it to the Indian squad amid a spirited battle with Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Sai Sudharsan has batted like someone who can possibly do no wrong at the moment. The left-hander continues to pile on runs irrespective of the competition. He had a stellar TNPL campaign, a successful county stint with Surrey, and a relatively solid Duleep Trophy campaign for India C. He started his Ranji campaign with a brilliant 213 against Delhi as well.

---

Middle Order: Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Ishan Kishan, and Nitish Kumar Reddy

Devdutt Padikkal is quietly making a case in the middle order, and coming into prominence in red-ball cricket. The left-handed batter, who made his Test debut earlier this year, scored three fifties in the Duleep Trophy campaign for India D.

Leading run-scorer of the 2023-24 Ranji campaign, Ricky Bhui continues to be a solid player in the domestic circuit. He batted at No.3 and No.5 in the Duleep Trophy campaign for India D, and recorded two tons in the process.

Ishan Kishan has made a soaring comeback to be considered in the national red-ball scheme of things. The wicketkeeper-batter, after ending his tussles with domestic cricket, made his return through the Buchi Babu tournament, where he excelled for Jharkhand. He scored a hundred in the Duleep Trophy for India C, and recorded another hundred while leading Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy against Railways.

Rohit Sharma has actively endorsed Nitish Kumar Reddy's all-round ability, and hinting that he may be used in Australia. As a result, the first-class contests preceding the Border-Gavaskar series come of great importance for the emerging all-rounder.

He has been hit with a few injury concerns of late, which delayed his debut. But, he showed what he is capable of with a prolific home T20I series against Bangladesh. As far his red-ball credentials are concerned, his numbers are far from ideal, but his raw talent can be honed with guidance and opportunities. He had a dismal Duleep Trophy campaign, but began the Ranji campaign on a solid note.

---

Lower Order: Tanush Kotian, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, and Yash Dayal

The likely combination for both India A and the main squad in Australia would be three specialist pacers, one spinner, and one pace-bowling all-rounder for batting depth. With Tanush Kotian being handy with the bat as well, the playing XI has got quality up until No.8.

The off-spinner had a stellar Ranji Trophy campaign for Mumbai, and played a huge hand in their title triumph. This elevated him to be considered for the Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup, and to his credit, he made a mark in both those competitions to earn a call-up for the India A squad.

India are keen to develop a left-arm pacer in red-ball cricket. Khaleel Ahmed was a name floated around by Ricky Ponting for the Border-Gavaskar series, while Yash Dayal was part of India's squad for the home Test series against Bangladesh. Both have been in solid form in India's domestic season so far, and could thrive in Australian conditions.

Mukesh Kumar was in India's backup plans in red-ball cricket, but has slid off a bit after poor outings against South Africa and England earlier this year.