Baroda’s Krunal Pandya and Kerala’s Basil Thampi got their maiden India A call-ups for the upcoming tour of South Africa in July, reported ESPNcricinfo.
India A’s 16-man squad for the tri-series involving Australia A and South Africa A
will be captained by Manish Pandey. The 27-year-old batsman has recovered from the side strain which kept him out of the Champions Trophy.
India A will play a triangular one-day series involving Australia A and South Africa A starting July 26, followed by two four-day matches against South Africa A. The 15-man squad for the four-day games will be led by Karun Nair.
Pandya and Thampi had a splendid outing during the recently concluded Indian Premier League.
All-rounder Pandya, whose brother Hardik Pandya plays for the senior national team, played an integral role for the Mumbai Indians, who went on to win the tournament for the third time. Pandya, 26, scored 243 runs at a strike rate of 135.75 and also chipped in with 10 wickets.
Thampi took 11 wickets in his debut season for the Gujarat Lions. The 23-year-old was the second-highest wicket-taker for his side.
India’s squad for the four-day games will feature Hyderabad’s Hanuma Vihari and Bengal’s Sudip Chatterjee. Fast bowlers Ankit Rajpoot and Mohammed Siraj have also made the cut. All four of them have never played first-class cricket for India A.
Vihari had an explosive Ranji Trophy season with Andhra, scoring 688 runs at 57.33. Siraj was Hyderabad’s highest wicket-taker with 41 scalps. Karun Nair will lead the first-class team.