In a tough start to the second four-day match against Australia A, India A crumbled to 11/4, with KL Rahul’s return as an opener falling short.
Rahul, given a prime chance to prove his credentials, was dismissed for just 4 runs, falling to Scott Boland. His performance adds questions to India’s backup plans for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in case Rohit Sharma misses the first Test.
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The collapse began with Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan both departing for ducks. Rahul’s dismissal came next, leaving India A’s top order exposed.
To accommodate Rahul’s position at the top, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad dropped to No. 4 but also struggled, managing only 4 runs before he was dismissed. In 3 overs, India A had lost four wickets with just 11 runs on the board.
This match was seen as a crucial opportunity for Rahul and Easwaran to impress selectors, with both vying to partner Yashasvi Jaiswal in the opening slot if Rohit is unavailable. However, Rahul’s failure today complicates the selection debate, as Easwaran remains the only specialist opener in the squad showing consistent first-class form.
Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel, who has joined the India A squad alongside Rahul, aims to bolster his claim as a potential backup batter and keeper.
However, with India A’s early batting collapse, the pressure will be on the middle and lower order to stabilize the innings. Jurel walked in at No.6 and made a good start alongside the star for India A from previous game, Devdutt Padikkal, and rebuilt the innings.
The more pertinent question, though, is around Rahul. Today’s outing raises doubts about his readiness to open in the high-stakes opening clash of the Test series, while reinforcing Easwaran’s strong recent form as a reliable backup option.
Although Easwaran himself has struggled on this A tour of Australia so far, he was the designated backup opener selected by the selectors for the main Test series.
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Rahul’s lack of runs in the middle-order had led to him being dropped in the final Test of the New Zealand series and while a comeback at the top in Rohit’s absence seemed a possibility, it will take a good second innnigs for him to convince the selectors.
The management will be keenly observing as the game progresses, with the Indian team still in search of the best combination for the first Test on November 22.
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