3 notable absentees from the India A squad to tour Bangladesh

Ahead of India's tour of Bangladesh, the India A team will visit the country for two four-day matches starting on Tuesday, November 29. Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran will lead the outfit in the two games, which will be played in Cox's Bazaar and Sylhet.

While a 13-member squad has been named for the first fixture, Test regulars Cheteshwar Pujara, Umesh Yadav and KS Bharat will join them for the second contest. The move is unsurprisingly in lieu of the two-match Test series to follow as part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle.

It is important to note that a few players may have missed the cut owing to the Men in Blue taking part in a three-match ODI series around the same time as the India A games. Having said that, there are others who can count themselves very unfortunate to have not made the tour for the two four-day fixtures.

Let's look at three notable absentees from the India A squad named to tour Bangladesh.

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#1 Baba Indrajith

With close to 4000 first-class runs at an average of 53.16, Baba Indrajith has been one of the most consistent batters on the circuit for a good few seasons now. The Tamil Nadu batter, who isn't averse to leadership roles either, struck three tons and a half-century in four outings in the Ranji Trophy 2021-22.

Yet, he was a surprising omission from the India A squad that hosted New Zealand in September and was picked to play in the Duleep Trophy instead. The 28-year-old batter has surprisingly missed the cut to tour Bangladesh as well and will be leading Tamil Nadu in the knockouts of the Vijay Hazare Trophy around the same time.

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#2 Rinku Singh

It's hard to fathom how Rinku Singh hasn't been in the scheme of things as far as the India A squads in recent times are concerned. After all, with a first-class batting average of close to 60, the 25-year-old southpaw defines the word consistency.

What also sets the Uttar Pradesh batter apart is the number of times he has delivered when his team has had its back to the wall. With a long future ahead of him and the added benefit of being a left-handed batter, Rinku ought to be on the selectors' radar.

He will consider himself very unfortunate to have missed out on India A selection for the four-day games against Bangladesh, having also not made the cut for the New Zealand rubber. He had another solid Ranji Trophy 2021-22 campaign as well, scoring four half-centuries and averaging 58.83.

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#3 Priyank Panchal

Gujarat skipper Priyank Panchal has been banging on the door of the national selection for a long time. He has come close as well with a couple of call-ups to the main squad but that elusive Test cap hasn't yet come his way.

Panchal scored 201 runs in four innings against New Zealand A in September with two half-centuries before coming in as a concussion substitute for Mayank Agarwal in the Irani Cup. While he didn't leave a mark in that game, it was a surprise to see his name missing from the India A squad to tour Bangladesh.

Given that he's 32 years old, the age factor might have tipped the scales in favor of younger blood such as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohan Kunnummal. Having said that, Panchal will feel hard done by at not having made the cut.

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What do you make of the India A squad that has been picked to tour Bangladesh? Let us know in the comments section below!

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