Top 5 India A performers from the Quadrangular A series

After being bowled out for 55 in their first game of the Quadrangular series down-under to Australia A, perhaps it was fitting that it was Australia A who were on the receiving end as Manish Pandey’s side claimed the series victory in Mackay by 57 runs.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, India A opener Mandeep Singh, who went on to win the Man of the Match in the final scored 95 to help his side post 266, which eventually proved to be too much for the side led by Peter Handscomb. So who were the best performers for India A in the series?

Will any of these players go on to for play for India in the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand? Irrespective of whether they do or not, they have certainly put themselves in pole position.

5) Mandeep Singh

If it wasn’t for the last couple of games, it would be fair to say that Mandeep Singh would have been one of those who would have been disappointed with their performances down-under. But, one of the most important qualities required on the international arena are to get back and perform when it matters most irrespective of previous form.

And Mandeep, who made his international debut in the Zimbabwe T20I series in June certainly did. Back-to-back fifties in the last two matches, including a Man of the Match performance in the final means he has certainly finished the tournament on a high.

In the final game of the round-robin stage, he set the platform for the middle-order as they almost chased 322 only to fall short by a solitary run. In the final, when India A needed to get off to a good start having won the toss, he scored 95 and helped them post 266 which turned out to a match-winning innings.

4) Yuzvendra Chahal

Having played for India in the ODI and T20I series against Zimbabwe on the back of an impressive IPL campaign, the pressure was on Yuzvendra Chahal to perform. However, it is not always easy for a leg spinner to thrive on pitches that offer little assistance to spinners.

But the 26-year-old followed the cardinal rule as far as bowling in limited-overs cricket. The leggie ensured that if he didn’t take wickets, he kept the runs down. An economy rate just over 4 is somewhat unheard of, especially in modern List-A cricket where totals of 300 are made to look small.

In the final however, the leggie saw an opening and came up trumps. He eventually finished with figures of 4/34 as he ran through the Australia A tail and converted what looked like a routine victory for the hosts into a memorable one for the visitors.

3) Kedar Jadhav

There is no doubt that the talk of MS Dhoni’s retirement from limited=overs cricket is something that is ruling the cricketing conversations in India. And Kedar Jadhav has chosen the perfect moment to throw his name into the ring.

While it is true that the right-hander didn’t have the gloves in the recently-concluded A team series, he has proven himself to be a more than handy behind the stumps in the Indian Premier League. And with an average of nearly 50 in List-A career and consistent performances in the A series, he should be in the reckoning for a spot in the limited-overs side.

With only one single-digit score in the entire series, Jadhav was undoubtedly India A’s most consistent batsman and finished it with 254 runs at an average of 63.50 and a strike of nearly 90. Batting in the middle-order, whether it was putting out fires or finishing the innings with a flourish, the 31-year-old did both with great aplomb.

2) Dhawal Kulkarni

India A may have had plenty of stars in their batting department going into the A-series but their best performer was undoubtedly Dhawal Kulkarni. Coming on the back of an impressive IPL season, Kulkarni continued to be his economical self as he finished with an incredible economy rate of under 4.

After a relatively successful tour of Zimbabwe where he took part in both ODIs and T20Is, Kulkarni showed that his new ball prowess wasn’t just a one-off in the IPL. What he did better than anyone else in the series was ensuring that the openers didn’t get away with the new ball.

Eventually, he finished the series with 9 wickets, only one bowler had more, but what was most impressive was that his economy rate throughout was just 3.64 and had an average of 15.77. If it is a bowler who can keep the runs down that India are after, they could do worse than take a look at Dhawal Kulkarni.

1) Manish Pandey

The leading run-scorer in the A-series was Indian captain Manish Pandey. While many may have wanted him to play in the two-match T20I series against West Indies in USA, he did a sterling job of not only leading the side but also ensuring that they came back strongly after being bowled out for 55 in the first game.

After starting the series with a duck against Australia A, he scored a match-winning century against South Africa A in the next match. After that he certainly did not look back as he continued his impressive batting form that is sure to earn him a spot in the Indian middle-order.

In the seven matches, the 26-year-old finished with 359 runs at an average of nearly 60 and strike rate of 94.5. He was the only batsman to score two centuries in the series and he did them when his side needed it most. His fifty in the final was a major reason why a match-winning total was on the board.