Pujara-inspired India A take on West Indies A in Tests

Led by an in-form Cheteshwar Pujara, India A would eye revenge for the ODI series loss when they take on a confident West Indies A in the unofficial three-Test series starting here tomorrow.

Saurashtra run-machine Pujara has had a good series with the bat against South Africa A and will look to carry his form into the Test series beginning at the Gangotri Glades here.

Pujara has been making headlines constantly with big scores at the international level and did not miss an opportunity to score a scintillating century in the previous unofficial Test series against South Africa A in their backyard.

The Saurashtrian followed it up with 54 as an opener in the first innings of the second unofficial Test and showed he was ready for the upcoming West Indies series.

Pujara, who has scored 1,180 runs from 13 Tests with an average of 65.55, will also have an opportunity to showcase his captaincy skills.

He would go into the West Indies series with fond memories of squaring the series against South Africa A.

Pujara had successfully led India A to victory defeating the hosts by an innings and 13 runs in the first unofficial Test, but lost the second by 121 runs as he did not field the winning combination and instead gave chance to other youngsters.

With the kind of form and fighting abilities the visitors displayed in the ODI series, Pujara and his men would be wary of their opponents.

Manpreet Juneja, a right-handed batsman from Ahmedabad, would be itching to go against the West Indies, especially after he had a fruitful series against New Zealand A.

He amassed 236 runs in two innings with a remarkable 193 in the second Test.
Other youngsters such as Jiwanjot Singh, K L Rahul, Rajat Paliwal and Harshad Khadiwale, who have shown their potential in domestic matches, would like display their batting talent.

India's bowling looks formidable on paper with Ashoke Dinda, Mohammed Shami, Ishwar Chand Pandey and Parvez Rasool, making up a good combination.

Rasool will also be observed the selectors after he made a mark when he picked up 7 for 45 for the Board President's XI against the visiting Australians in their tour-opener in Chennai in February 2013.

The West Indies 'A', on the other hand, would go into the series with their tails up after they clinched ODI series 2-1 against a formidable Indian side.

However, they would like to tread a cautious path after losing the one-off T20 match by a huge margin.

Kirk Edwards, their captain for the Tests, would aim to convert the defeat into an opportunity to make amends in their approach and plug loopholes in the fielding department, which had cost them the Twenty20 match.

With a century under his belt, Edwards would like to carry his form along with another centurion Jonathan Carter, into the longer version of the game.

Kieran Powell, who got some runs in the T20, could be a danger especially if he succeeds in giving a good start to the West Indies at the top.

Their main strength, however, remains the bowling, which saw them restrict India. Miguel Cummins, Veerasammy Permaul, Nikita Miller all have been among wickets.

Teams (from):

India A: Cheteshwar Pujara (c), Jiwanjot Singh, K L Rahul, Manpreet Juneja, Rajat Paliwal, Harshad Khadiwale, Parvez Rasool, Bhargav Bhatt, Ishwar Chand Pandey, Mohammed Shami, Ashoke Dinda, Rohit Motwani (wicketkeeper), Dhawal Kulkarni and Paras Dogra.
West Indies A: Test squad: Kirk Edwards (c), Kieran Powell, Kraigg Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Miguel Cummins, Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fudadin, Jahmar Hamilton, Delorn Johnson, Leon Johnson, Nikita Miller, Veerasammy Permaul, Shane Shillingford, Chadwick Walton. PTI BDN PM PM 09241136