India A set to tour South Africa in June 2017

The India A team is scheduled to tour South Africa in June next year. The news was confirmed recently by a BCCI office-bearer. In a conversation with the PTI, the news was disclosed to the media. It will be Rahul Dravid who will take charge of the team as the head coach. The tour will provide an ideal launch pad for the young stars of the Indian cricket circle. The likes of Rishabh Pant, Priyank Panchal, and others have been putting up stellar show in the domestic circuit.

Performing in the tough overseas conditions in South Africa will only make them better players. The India A tour is most likely to be played in June when the Indian team will be in England playing the ICC Champions Trophy. The BCCI office bearer quoted that the tour will be a test for the batsmanship of the young stars.

“Yes, India A’s tour of South Africa in the month of June, next year has been finalised. This is a part of BCCI promoting more A tours to get the talented India aspirants battle ready. The conditions there will test the quality of batsmanship,” he quoted.

There will be limited overs match as well as four-day games on the tour. When India A last toured South Africa in 2013, they drew the unofficial Test series 1-1 and had won the List A series. The tour had boasted of big stars like Cheteshwar Pujara, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma. The BCCI source had a special mention for Rishabh Pant and Priyank Panchal. He believes players like them will benefit a great deal from the tour.

He said, “The A tours give ideal opportunity to the performers in domestic cricket to showcase their talent. Look at the likes of Priyank Panchal, who has scored over 1000 runs or youngsters like Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan who have caught the attention — the selectors will get a chance to test if they are ready for the next level or not.”

Talking about the Ranji Trophy quarter-final dates, the BCCI official said that the dates will be finalised after the match between Jharkhand and Odisha gets over. “The quarter-final venues will be decided only after the Jharkhand vs Odisha match gets over on December 18,” the source added.