Seniors in line to play for India 'A' ahead of South Africa Tests to gain red-ball practice - Reports

A group of senior players will reportedly travel with the India 'A' squad to South Africa to play one of the three planned four-day contests ahead of the two-match Test series between the two nations.

Team India will first play a white-ball series comprising three ODIs and three T20Is against the Proteas from December 10 to 21. At the same time, India 'A' will travel to South Africa for a shadow tour, where senior players like Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, and Jaydev Unadkat can hone their skills and get crucial match practice before joining up with the main squad.

According to a report by PTI, usual members of the 'A' side like Abhimanyu Easwaran, B Sai Sudharsan, Yash Dhull, KS Bharat, Upendra Yadav, and Saurabh Kumar are all expected to mark their presence. The players can use the matches as a preparation avenue for the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy, which is scheduled to begin from January 5 onwards.

"Yes, there are three four-day Tests between India 'A' and South Africa 'A' next month. The team for that will be announced in some days. Most of the consistent young performers along with those (seniors) who need some game time before the two Test matches in Centurion (December 26 to 30) and Cape Town (January 3-7) will be there," a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.

The BCCI has ensured that the 'A' team gets exposure simultaneously alongside the main squad. Shadow tours were a common presence up until the Bangladesh tour in late 2022, following which the focus was shifted from red-ball cricket to the 50-over format.

With shadow tours in the scheme of things yet again, the 'A' team will also get an opportunity to play three four-day matches against the visiting England Lions as well, with the Ben Stokes-led squad playing five Tests against India on the sidelines.

The BCCI had sent the 'A' team during Team India's previous tour of South Africa in 2021-22 as well, a time when the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was running rampant.

Team India's last Test series came against West Indies in July 2023

Rohit Sharma and company toured the West Indies to kickstart their 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The upcoming tour of South Africa marks their second series in the cycle, and they will play their first home series in 2024.

Team India have never won a Test series in South Africa. They had a golden opportunity after claiming a 1-0 lead in their previous tour but ended up losing the series by a 2-1 margin, leading to Virat Kohli's resignation as red-ball skipper as well.