With India set to host Australia (seven ODIs) and West Indies (2 Tests and 3 ODIs) over the next three months, the pointers thrown up in the series, which begins with a one-dayer at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Sunday, will be crucial.
All eyes will be on Yuvraj Singh, who is leading the India 'A' one-day side. Dropped from the national team after the home series against England earlier this year, the swashbuckling batsman will be desperate to produce a sparkling show against Kieran Powell's West Indies. Besides Yuvraj, Robin Uthappa, Yusuf Pathan and Rahul Sharma will treat this series as a springboard to return to the national fold.
Pacemen Irfan Pathan and Praveen Kumar too would have nurtured hopes of impressing the selectors but they have been ruled out of the one-day series owing to injuries. Karnataka seamer R Vinay Kumar and Punjab medium-pacer Siddharth Kaul have come in as replacements.
Uthappa has been in fine form this season having scored a century against New Zealand A last week besides scoring a triple hundred at the All India Safi Darashah tournament in August. The local lad will aim at capitalizing on the home advantage against the inexperienced West Indies side.
Uthappa's opening partner Unmukt Chand too is in good form, having scored 164 runs in the three one-dayers against New Zealand A. Off-spinner Baba Aparajith, batsman Kedar Jadhav and all-rounder Mandeep Singh are the others to watch.
Jagadeesh gets India A call-up
Kerala top-order batsman VA Jagadeesh, who topped his team's run tally in the last Ranji Trophy season with 871 runs, has been added to the India 'A' squad for the second and third four-day games against West Indies 'A.' The right-handed batsman scored 91 against NZ 'A' recently.
Yuvraj keen to prove a point: Rajput
India 'A' coach Lalchand Rajput says skipper Yuvraj Singh's attitude will help him return to the national team. "He is keen on performing well and staging a comeback," Rajput said. "He has worked hard on his fitness. In between, he had put on a bit of weight. He still has a lot of cricket in him. He's a match-winner. People's expectations were high and he couldn't perform up to that level in recent times but now he's back."
LOOKING TO IMPRESS...
Yuvraj Singh
He's fit and he's hungry for runs. Back after a strenuous six-week training regime in France under trainer Tim Exeter, Yuvi is ready to hit the field running in a format that has always been his own. The ODIs against West Indies 'A' will be the perfect setting for him to find his touch with the willow. Last ODI: vs England on January 27, 2013
Yusuf Pathan
Off the boil with his form in the last season, the elder of the Pathan brothers has fallen off the Indian selectors' radar. While players like Yuvraj, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan headed to foreign pastures, Yusuf sought help from Kiran More who worked on his technique. The ODIs, followed by the Challenger Trophy will be the litmus test for this big-hitter. Last ODI: vs Pakistan on March 18, 2012
Robin Uthappa
The Karnataka opener looked in fine touch against the Kiwis. A century in the first ODI against New Zealand 'A' helped him pile up 161 runs in the three-match series at an average of 53 and strike-rate of over 87. Uthappa looked comfortable facing a mediocre Kiwi attack and can look forward to more of the same. Last ODI: vs Sri Lanka on July 6, 2008
Jaydev Unadkat
The absence of Praveen Kumar and Irfan Pathan means Unadkat gets another chance to impress. The left-arm seamer from Saurashtra didn't disappoint during his five outings in Zimbabwe, claiming eight scalps at an impressive average of just over 17. The strong Windies lineup featuring Kieran Powell and Andre Russell might prove to be a sterner challenge. Last ODI: vs Zimbabwe on August 3, 2013
One who misses out...
Praveen Kumar
The swing merchant from UP hasn't represented India for almost two years; his last competitive cricket was during the IPL. His hopes of creating an early impression this season have now been wiped out due to injury. Last ODI: vs Pakistan on March 18, 2012
(Compiled by Devadyuti Das)
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