India A cricket team

Off spinner Corey Roccascioli has pushed his case for a return to India for a test debut in early 2027 with a strong performance at the Australian A team in Puttasheri.

After India A chose to bat in the first unofficial test between the two aspiring sides, Roccascioli took 3 for 27 from 18 overs at the home side reach 5 for 257 by stumps on day 1.

The 28-year-old West Australian could come into the contention when Australia picks their squad for the five-test series in India starting on January 21st.

Rokasholi insisted he was only thinking of the match he was playing in.

So my focus is only that's what's in front of me, what's coming back out tomorrow and finishing these innings.

Nevertheless, should Australia opt to play three spinners, Rokasholi could be vying with his Australia aid teammate Todd Murphy for a starting spot alongside Nathan Lyon and Matt Cooneman.

As Murphy ended with 1 for 59 from 26 overs against India A on Tuesday, Rokasholi looked at home in Indian conditions in taking three key wickets.

He first snared Sheikh Rashid, 16, caught and bowled when the number four tried to dive a lofted ball which fell sharply on him, with Rokasholi diving to his right to take the catch one-handed.

So, you know, there's no doubt that now whoever selects a team does it in a one, i- in a much better way, but I still have a crib.

Sarfaraz is not again in the India A team.

He-

And I asked a board official-

Yeah

... "You have sent him to Sri Lanka as part of the Indian team.

Why is he not playing India A?" You know what the answer was? "Ha, Rajdeep ji, acha question aapka hai."

Yeah.

He's a New South Welshman.

He's leaving India, where he's with India A, to come to South Africa and play maybe the first one day in a national straightaway in Durban, which is Thursday.

Tuesday today, yeah, Thursday, at 6pm in Durban.

So our all-rounders are everywhere.

The West Indies and Afghanistan are going to tour India for an ODI series.

The India A-teams for the Australia multi-series have been announced.

And I am very happy for one to see a chap called Shams Mulani, who's 29 years old, made his debut way back in 2018.

Plays for Mumbai, left arm all-rounder, spinner, and has scored 4,000 runs and taken 400 wickets in domestic competitions.

And we are, yeah, we're incredibly excited by that Australia A tour as well.

It's a great opportunity.

It'll be high quality cricket given the depth of India and looking forward to the opportunity those guys are going to

get.

My hopes for that A tour is that the wickets are They are fair for bat and ball and not outrageous turners from day one.

We're really excited by that.

One of the things that, I like that we've really tried hard to do with that A team is a lot of those guys have now played quite a bit of cricket together.

And as they do start to transition into international cricket, it's one thing I think to be actually playing the game, but you're also a long time away long time in different countries long time away from your family um big blocks of cricket so just having that knowledge of those around you um some mates that you go with i think that um that should hold them in good stead and and then just from a performance perspective i'm i'm i'm excited by by the group that uh that we've got going to india there's some there's some excellent players that aren't even going to india as well um that'll be starting the domestic season so i think we're really well placed

No, he actually, I mean, actually, that's not true.

I mean, he's played for India A, but he hasn't played for India in any formats yet.

He's traveled as a net bowler.

India A, he definitely has played, that I know,

yeah.

I mean, I do want to add one thing about Mushir Khan.

And like George Bailey said, it was time that they moved on from him because it also tells you just the, I know we have 13 and a half months to go before the start of the World Cup.

But Australia only have what nine ODIs this year, three in Zimbabwe, three in South Africa and three on home soil against England.

Then they have to wait all the way till the end of the ashes when they have a tri-series involving India and England and then pretty much straight into that 50-over World Cup.

So there's not a lot of 50-over opportunities or ODI opportunities that they can have to get someone cemented in that sport and that person they've felt is no longer Manus.

So I think this is glass half full for Manus.

Including the likes of Peter Hanscom, who's 35, probably one of the older members of the team to be part of an A team.

But...

So then who do you pick for South Africa? Yes, George Bailey said logistically those players could play the first four-day game in India and then still be able to fly to South Africa and prepare with the team.