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West Indies A tour of India, 2013

Chandan

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http://goo.gl/QbXPnb Every country has pride: Edwards Wisden India staff | Mysore | 24 September 2013 Kirk-Edwards-405x263.jpg Kird Edwards-led West Indies A would hope to carry forward the momentum from the one-day series. © AFP There’s probably never been a better time than now for Indian fringe cricketers. India A tours are being arranged regularly, some at home and some away, and while it has provided an opportunity to out-of-favour Indian players to plead their cases, players from one level below are getting opportunities to knock on the doors of the national selectors too. “It is a very good opportunity for all the young players, all the youngsters are getting chances. See the kind of level … India A is always higher than what we have in the Ranji Trophy. The kind of bowlers, the kind of fields we face, it is always a good learning opportunity for all the players,” said Cheteshwar Pujara, the India A captain, in Mysore on Tuesday (September 24), on the eve of the first of three four-day games against West Indies A. “We have a Test series coming up against the West Indies and I think many of the bowlers and batsmen will be part of that Test squad as well. So it is an opportunity for all the youngsters who want to be a part of the Test squad and players like me, who are already part of the Test squad. We will get the experience and the kind of exposure that we wanted against them.” The sentiments were not too different in the opposition camp, with Kirk Edwards, the captain, stressing on the fact that most of the players have been in India for some time – as part of the limited-overs team – and the spirit in the camp is “great”. “As you know, A-team cricket is a bit of a development programme. Every country has pride at stake and I’m sure India will want to win and we also want to win,” he said. Opportunity for bigger things or preparation for bigger matches aside, there’s also the matter of doing well and winning these games. There’s an element of revenge here for India A as well, West Indies A having beaten them 2-1 in the Caribbean last year. Many members of the West Indian team are the same as then, and Lalchand Rajput, the India A coach, rated the visiting unit highly, saying, “West Indies is a strong side with very good fast bowlers, but we have had a very good look at them in the one-dayers (which India lost 2-1).” Pujara was the India A captain on the West Indies tour too. “I was there and a lot of other players too have played against the West Indies A team when we toured there. It is a positive thing for us,” said Pujara. “I think we have decent preparation, we have good team combination, we have an experienced bowling line-up and we have a young batting line-up. I am hoping we will do well.” And Pujara expected his job to become easier in the subsequent games, with Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan joining the party. “When I lead the senior players, my job becomes easier as I don’t need to motivate them, I don’t need to guide them. In crucial situations, they can come up to me and tell me ‘this is the thing you can do’. They can give suggestions and it makes it easier for me.” With the pitch being under cover for most of Tuesday after a short downpour in the morning, the Indians hadn’t decided on their final combination. But while Rajput suggested it would “help the bowlers”, Edwards, who saw the pitch on Monday, felt, “It looks like a good batting pitch.” Pujara said that a call on the playing XI would only be taken on the morning of the match, especially with regards to which pace bowler from among Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohammad Shami, Ashok Dinda and Ishwar Pandey would sit out. It’s a tough call to make and Pujara, at least in public, was holding his cards close to his chest.
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