Chance for Yuvraj-led India 'A' to regain lost ground

Having suffered a surprise defeat in the unofficial ODI series, it will be an opportunity for the Yuvraj Singh-led India 'A' to regain some of the lost ground when they lock horns with the West Indies 'A' in the one-off Twenty20 match here tomorrow.

The 1-2 series loss was a rare failure for India A, who had whitewashed their counterparts from New Zealand 3-0 prior to the just-concluded ODI rubber against the Caribbeans.
The key for the hosts once again will be Yuvraj, who has had a remarkable success with the willow in the 50-over format, slamming an 89-ball century and following that up with knocks of 40 and 61 in the last two matches.

In his quest to earn a recall to the Indian team, the stylish left-hander will look to continue in the same vein in the remainder of the series, which also includes three unofficial Tests.
With the kind of form and fighting abilities the visitors displayed in the ODI series, Yuvraj and his men would be wary of their opponents.

As a whole, India have performed reasonably with the bat. While Yuvraj and Yusuf Pathan managed to get some runs under their belt, the hosts have been hugely let down by opener Robin Uthappa's form as the India discard could manage only 23, 10 and 27 in the three ODIs.

The batting unit revolves around openers Unmukt Chand and Uthappa and from India's point of view, it is imperative that they give the team a good start.

The Indian outfit would also hope that the likes of Baba Aparajith and Kedar Jadhav, who have shown their potential in patches in the ODI series, lend some solidity to the middle-order.

India's bowling department, with the exception of pacers Vinay Kumar and Jaydev Unadkat, has completely looked off-colour and if the hosts harbour any chance of clinching the one-off T20 series, the bowlers will have to fire in unison.

The West Indies 'A', on the other hand, would need to guard against complacency if they hope to maintain their winning momentum going into tomorrow's match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The visitors have looked good in the ODI series and with the presence of centurions Kirk Edwards and Jonathan Carter, besides Kieran Powell and Andre Russel in their ranks, the side possess a strong batting line-up.

Their main strength, however, remains the bowling, which saw them restricting India. Miguel Cummins, Veerasammy Permaul, Nikita Miller all have been among wickets and if all-rounders Carter and Russel also come good with the ball, the team has the arsenal to tame India.
India 'A': Robin Uthappa, Naman Ojha(wk), Baba Aparajith, Yuvraj Singh(capt), Kedar Jadhav, Yusuf Pathan, Vinay Kumar, Shahbaz Nadeem, Siddarth Kaul, Jaydev Unadkat, Unmukt Chand, Rahul Sharma, Sumit Narwal.

West Indies 'A': Kieran Powell (capt), Andre Fletcher, Kirk Edwards, Leon Johnson, Jonathan Carter, Andre Russell, Devon Thomas(k), Ashley Nurse, Nikita Miller, Veerasammy Permaul, Miguel Cummins, Narsingh Deonarine, Sheldon Cotterrell, Nkruma Bonner, Ronsford Beaton