5 India ‘A’ players to look out for in the four-day games in South Africa 

On August 8, India ‘A’ beat South Africa ‘A’ by seven wickets in the finals of the ODI tri-series (which also included Afghanistan) to retain the trophy they had won four years ago. The one-day games will be followed by the four-day games which begin in Benoni on Sunday. The second match will be played at Senwes Park from August 19. Most of the players who were a part of the ODI squad have been named for the four-day games too. Here are five Indian cricketers to look out for in India A’s talented squad for the longer version of the game. 

Aniket Choudhary 

The Royal Challengers Bangalore bowler, who bowls at a speed of nearly 140kmph, will be crucial to India A’s campaign in the four-day games. Aniket, who plays for Rajasthan in the domestic ranks, was bought by RCB ahead of IPL 10 for INR 2 crores, 20 times his base price. While his debut IPL season may have not been extraordinary, with only five wickets from five games, he is known for his brilliant pace and bounce in the Rajasthan ranks. 

It can be recalled that the fast bowler travelled with the Indian Test team in September last year to help them counter the threat of Trend Boult ahead of the New Zealand series. Soon later, he made his India A comeback after nearly three years and claimed four wickets against Bangladesh in a warm-up match at Hyderabad. This was followed by another stint with the national Test team, when he bowled to the Indian batsmen in the nets to help them prepare for Mitchell Starc ahead of the Australia series. His exceptional pace is something to look out for.

Shardul Thakur 

Thakur was the highest wicket-taker for India, and the second highest wicket-taker of the tournament in the recently-concluded one-day series that India ‘A’ won. The pacer took nine wickets from four games, three of which came in the final at Pretoria. The spearhead of Mumbai’s pace attack, Thakur proved his mettle in IPL 10 too, taking 11 wickets from 12 games. In Rising Pune Supergiant's final game of the group stages, he returned with figures of 3-19.

Shreyas Iyer 

The 22-year-old was the show stopper in the final of the ODI tri-series, scoring a 131-ball 140 to anchor India’s chase of 267 runs and lead them to victory in the 46th over. The Mumbai batsman smashed 11 boundaries and four sixes to take India home. 

Iyer, on the back of an exceptional domestic performances, was also called up for the Dharamsala Test earlier this year for Virat Kohli’s cover but didn’t make his debut. He was the highest run-getter in his second Ranji Trophy season in 2015-16, with a tally of 1321 runs. Last year, he scored 725 runs in the Ranji trophy to take Mumbai to the finals. Notably, the Delhi Daredevils batsman also scored a sensational double ton for India A against Australia in the warm-up ahead of the Border Gavaskar trophy. 

Karun Nair

The captain of the side, Nair made history with his triple ton against England in Chennai, becoming only the second Indian to score 300 in a single innings after Virender Sehwag. Although he could muster only 95 runs from the four innings he played in the ODI series, he can loom danger for the bowlers on his day. 

He has played six Tests and two ODIs for India, and is one of the most prolific batsmen in the Karnataka ranks. 

Shahbaz Nadeem

The left-arm spinner has consistently been Jharkhand’s highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy. The 27-year-old has taken 307 wickets in 83 first-class matches, and that is a testament to his talent. His ability to restrict the flow of runs makes him standout.