Lanka tour on mind, Virat faces Australia A

Chennai, July 28

Test skipper Virat Kohli will be the cynosure of all eyes as India A take on Australia A in the second and final four-day match beginning here on Wednesday.

Kohli had requested the BCCI to allow him to play the game as part of his preparations for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, where playing conditions are similar to those in the southern Indian metropolis.

Kohli, who was among the several seniors rested for the three ODIs and two T20Is against Zimbabwe earlier this month, will lead the Test team against Sri Lanka for the three-match series next month.

The two A sides had played out a draw in the opening four-day game where Lokesh Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara shone with the bat while the spinning duo of Pragyan Ojha and Amit Mishra foxed the Aussies with their bite and guile.

In fact, India A skipper Pujara had declared the Indian second innings to set a 240-run target for the visitors, who managed to score 161 for 4 when the match came to an end.

On the flip side, Indian pacers Umesh Yadav and Abhimanyu Mithun could not do much on a pitch that offered no assistance to them.

With the local authorities seemingly making efforts to make the pitch livelier, it remains to be seen whether the Indian pacers can come up with a better show.

Australia, on the other hand, were well served by batsmen Peter Handscomb, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Bancroft and Travis Head — who made fifty-plus scores. Handscomb fell only nine short of a century in the first innings.

Rahul rested, Pujara to open

Cheteshwar Pujara will open for India A in place KL Rahul, who has been rested for the second ‘Test’.

“Rahul has been rested, so I will open tomorrow,” said Pujara. With Kohli in the team, Pujara knows he needs to perform well to impress the Test captain.

“Obviously, when I play for India A or India, it’s important to score runs. It will be good for me as well as the youngsters to have Kohli playing this game. They can talk to him and learn. Kohli can share his ideas on how to prepare for big games and other stuff,” said Pujara.

Having scored a half-century in the first ‘Test’, Pujara is looking for a better performance in this match. “Things are shaping up well. I’ve scored runs in difficult conditions. Even scoring a fifty on this track in the last game was difficult,” he said. “But overall I felt good. The things I’ve been working on are working out fine.” — Agencies