6 India A players who can earn a place in the Indian side with a good show in the tour of England

India A will lock horns with England Lions and West Indies A in a Tri-series in England. The tri-series will be followed by a four-day 'Test' between India A and England Lions. However, the main focus will be on the Tri-series.

India A tours have always been a stepping stone for international cricket and a good show in these tours paves way for the players' selection in the national side. Players like Kedar Jadhav, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey broke into the Indian team after good performances for India A.

Also, with this tournament being held in England, which is also the country where the 2019 World Cup is going to take place, this tour becomes extremely crucial. Selectors will be keeping an eye on whether the selected players can perform in English conditions. Most of the players are coming off a good IPL series and will be high on confidence.

Even though the Indian ODI team is doing exceedingly well in ODIs, there are still some loopholes in the squad. We will look at 6 players from the India A side who can get selected in the national side by putting up good performances on the tour of England, and can thus fill these gaps.

#6 Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar appealing for a wicket

Vijay Shankar was selected in the Indian team for the Nidahas trophy in Sri Lanka. Shankar couldn't make full use of the opportunity as he failed to make much impact. Even in the initial stages of the IPL, he struggled to get going. But he did manage to play some crucial knocks for Delhi Daredevils at the latter stages of the tournament. This series will provide Shankar a chance to prove his usefulness as an all-rounder by performinh well in English conditions. He can provide a good backup option for Hardik Pandya in the national side.

#5 Shardul Thakur

Thakur was CSK's highest wicket-taker with 16 wickets

Shardul Thakur has had a mix IPL 2018. Even though he finished as Chennai Super Kings' highest wicket-taker with 16 wickets, he was very expensive and went at 9.23 runs per over. Thakur, who made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in August last year, has taken 5 wickets in the 3 matches that he has played for India.

However, he hasn't been able to perform consistently and has struggled to cement his place in the playing XI. But with the selectors still looking for options for backup pacers, Thakur can make it to the World Cup squad with a good performance in this series.

#4 Axar Patel

Time is running out for Axar Patel

Axar Patel has been out of favour of the selectors for some time now. Axar, who has had a steady start to his international career, has fallen behind due to the rise of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. Injuries also played their part in Axar's inability to find a permanent place in the Indian squad.

However, Axar can still make a comeback with a strong performance in the Tri-series. Apart from his left-arm spin bowling, if he can improve his batting and score some runs in the lower-order, then he can provide a useful option for the Indian team going into the World Cup.

#3 Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer will have the added responsibility of captaining the side

Selectors have shown immense faith in Shreyas Iyer by naming him the captain of the touring India A side for the Tri-series. Iyer, who also captained Delhi Daredevils in the recently concluded IPL, has shown flashes of brilliance in his short international career, but hasn't been able to play innings of substance and has flattened to deceive. This series will be extremely crucial for Shreyas Iyer as he will look to lead the side from the front and score some big runs in England and cement a place in the ODI side.

#2 Krunal Pandya

Can Krunal repeat his IPL form for India A?

Krunal Pandya has been one of the most consistent performers in the IPL over the years. Often there have been voices from different corners of the country for Krunal Pandya's inclusion in the ODI side but he hasn't performed upto expectations in the domestic ODI tournaments. Previously also, the senior Pandya did not do much with the opportunities that were given to him while playing for India A. But the selectors have given him one more chance to prove his worth. This might be a do or die series for Krunal, as a good performance can earn him a place in the Indian team while a failure might end his World Cup dream.

#1 Rishabh Pant

Pant played some stunning innings for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL

Perhaps the player whose performance will be keenly observed by everyone in the country will be Rishabh Pant. Rishabh Pant is one of the most promising talents going around the country. He has been fantastic in the domestic circuit and in the IPL. The Delhi batsman won the orange cap in IPL 2018 by scoring 684 runs in 14 matches. The dashing left-hand batsman has been in rich vein of form and will look to continue his good form for India A too. Even though Rishabh Pant hasn't really done justice to his talent on the international level, he will want to grab this opportunity and get his name in reckoning for selection in the national side.