New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) While excitement builds for the IPL 2025 playoffs in Mullanpur and Ahmedabad, many players and their coaches have made their way to England and are in preparation for the first-class matches against the England Lions, starting on May 30 in Canterbury.

Several Indian Test team players, led by opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, are there in the India ‘A’ squad for the first game to acclimatize to the conditions, and put in strong performances which can get them in consideration for a place in the playing eleven for the first Test against England in Leeds on June 20.

With B Sai Sudharsan and skipper Shubman Gill to join in for the second game, it literally sums up the importance of this ‘A’ tour. Amongst the players for whom the India ‘A’ games are both a critical exam and an opportunity is Easwaran himself. The Bengal opener has been the perennial backup opener for Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

With Rohit retiring from the format, one would surely expect Easwaran to come in and make a long-awaited India Test debut. But it’s easier said than done, as there is a good reason behind Easwaran’s Test cap not materialising yet. A school of thought says there have been occasions when Easwaran could have performed better to make a stronger impression on the selectors.

Like the India A tour of Australia before last year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where Easwaran struggled to get going and did not go past 17 in the four innings in Mackay and Melbourne. It meant that India’s forever shapeshifter KL Rahul opened the innings in Perth when Rohit missed out due to paternity leave.

But with Rohit quitting Tests and other contender Sudharsan to join in a little later, Easwaran has a chance to step up and dish out strong performances for India ‘A’ against England Lions and in the intra squad game, so that the team think-tank includes him in the playing eleven – whether as an opener or one-down (considering if skipper Shubman Gill takes number four spot).

Other Test team players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Kumar Reddy also have acclimatization to the conditions on their mind, while Sarfaraz Khan will be looking to demonstrate his capabilities of succeeding in non-Asian conditions after not getting a game in Australia and being a notable omission from the Test squad for the England sojourn.

In the bowling department, Shardul Thakur and Akash Deep will look to use the game to practice bowling with the Dukes ball before the all-important Test series takes centre stage. Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Kumar, Harshit Rana, Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj will also want to make a good impression on the decision makers in the national set-up.

With an outstanding domestic season behind him, headlined by a ten-wicket haul in an innings against Kerala in the Ranji Trophy, Kamboj is well-positioned to step in if anyone gets injured in England. He can move sideways while maintaining accuracy in line and length, something which has been noted by many in the ecosystem.

It’s uncommon for India to field at least seven or more Test players in an India ‘A’ series prior to an important five-match Test tour, which clearly reveals its importance. Though the conditions and opponents are different from those India will encounter from June 20, the ‘A’ team tour will offer a valuable glimpse into the capabilities of players who can become future lynchpins of the Indian Test team, which is now in a full-fledged rebuilding phase.

When: Friday, May 30 at 2:30 PM IST

Where: The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury.

Where To Watch: The match will be broadcasted on ecb.co.uk and England Cricket app.

Squads

India ‘A’: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (VC) (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan (WK), Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Harsh Dubey

England Lions: James Rew (captain), Farhan Ahmed, Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Jordan Cox, Rocky Flintoff, Emilio Gay, Tom Haines, George Hill, Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Ben McKinney, Dan Mousley, Ajeet Singh Dale and Chris Woakes

–IANS

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