BENGALURU : Each and every domestic cricketer dreams of wearing the India cap. But playing for the nation is no easy task. After domestic success, India A is always an important exam to prove their worth. The last two series have had many positives for India A side. On Monday, India A drew against South Africa in the second match of the two four-day ‘unofficial’ Test and clinched the series 1-0. Some players in this side might have grabbed selectors’ attention as well.
Player like Mohammed Siraj has brought his A game to the fore. Before this series, India A played against West Indies A and England Lions in England and Siraj picked up 15 wickets in the seam-friendly conditions. The pacer carried that form to home series, scalping 14 wickets. The way he controlled his line and slength to trouble the visitors, who are brought up on bouncy pitches, was also impressive. He is on a purple patch and skipper Shreyas Iyer was full praise for his discipline on and off the field.
Besides the Hyderabad pacer, Rajneesh Gurbani, Navdeep Saini and Ankit Rajpoot also did fairly well. “All the bowlers were disciplined. When you see Siraj off the field as well as in training, he is really focussed. His preparation ahead of the game is always upto the mark. It’s really good to see from a bowling point of view and his contribution is helping the team,” Iyer said after the match at KSCA ground in Alur. Apart from him, batting also proved to be good.
Batsmen like Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari have recorded tons. Among the trio, Agarwal, with his consistency in domestic cricket, has been tipped to get the India cap in the near future. Shaw’s form is encouraging. Experienced Vihari also looked to be in good touch while taking on South African seamers. Ankit Bawne also impressed with backto- back fifties in second match. This mix of bowlers and batsmen proves India’s good bench strength.
While consistency is a factor to be on selector’s radar, Iyer feels it might be difficult for players to take the snub when they are doing well. “It is really tough to be patient when you perform consistently and not get into the team, it runs into your mind. But, it is really important to keep your mind in one direction and get the best out of yourself as well.” ashimsunam@newindianexpress.com Brief scores: India A 345 & 181/4 in 51 ovs (Iyer 65, Bawane 65 n.o; Olivier 2/24, Muthusamy 2/45) drew with South Africa A 319 in 98.2 ovs (Erwee 58; Siraj 4/72; Rajpoot 3/52; Chahal 2/84).