Experience of bowling on Australian pitches an advantage, says Saini after India-A selection

Navdeep Saini is hoping to make the most of the opportunity with the India-A squad for the Australia tour.
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

In late August, Navdeep Saini was caught by surprise when his name didn’t feature initially in any of the four squads for the season-opening Duleep Trophy. As it turned out, he didn’t have to mull over it for long as a late withdrawal from Mohammed Siraj due to illness opened the door for the fast bowler in the India-B squad, an opportunity that the 31-year-old with a quick-arm action grabbed.

He took 14 wickets in three matches, including a fifer against India-D in Anantapur, and has then carried that rhythm into the first two games of the new Ranji Trophy campaign for Delhi. The result of his solid start to the season is a spot in the India-A squad for the upcoming tour of Australia that serves as a prelude to the senior team’s five-Test series starting next month.

“I was told only two days ago of my selection for India-A, but I had an inkling that my name would be there after doing well in the Duleep Trophy,” Saini told The Hindu on Wednesday. “It was a big boost to perform in the Duleep Trophy. Once I got the chance, I knew I had to perform. I had a lot of fun.”

By being part of the touring party for two four-day matches versus Australia-A, Saini gets to return to the scene of his Test debut. He is the only pacer in the India-A squad with experience of playing red-ball cricket in Australia. In the landmark 2020-21 series that India won, Saini’s initiation came in Sydney, and he was there at the crease in the dying moments in Brisbane when domestic teammate Rishabh Pant led a stunning chase. 

Ask the pacer about going back to Australia and he says: “It is a very big opportunity for me. I am very excited to be going back to the place where I made my Test debut. A plus point is that I have played in Australia, so I know the atmosphere, weather and wickets.”