Peter Handscomb And Sam Konstas Get Picked As Australia Announce ‘A’ Squad For India Tour

Hyderabad: Peter Handscomb has got a chance to find his way back into the Australian senior squad as the Australian Opener has been picked for the upcoming tour of India in the ‘A’ squad.

The 35-year-old batter is the most senior player of the Australia ‘A’ squad, and he will aim to get back in the national side with a stellar performance. Australia A will lock horns against India A ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is to be played next year.

Handscomb has been away from international cricket and has also not featured in the ‘A’ squad since playing in the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Sam Konstas has played five Test matches, including a Test series against India in 2024. The opener earned limel,ight for his aggressive style of batting in the series and was also involved in a verbal spat with Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli as well.

Australia A will play two four-day matches in Puducherry. The first four-day match will start on September 22, while the second game will start on September 29. The tour will then move to three 50-over games. The three white-ball games will be played on 6,9 and 11 October, respectively, at the same venue.

Brendan Doggett and Jhye Richardson will play a key role in the pace department. Richardson is returning to Test cricket as he has returned to first-class cricket recently after suffering several major shoulder surgeries.

Young fast bowler Mahli Beardman is one of the names who will be in the spotlight as he is an emerging prospect in Australian cricket. In the previous season of the Big Bash League (BBL), he picked 13 wickets from 11 matches with an economy of 8.08 while playing for Perth Scorchers. Also, he picked two wickets in his T20I debut against Pakistan.

"We consider these tours an important part of performance and developing game styles in subcontinent conditions as part of our continued investment into the Australia A program," chief selector George Bailey said.

"It's a strong representation of players who will be in contention to be part of the group we take to India next year or see as having potential for further opportunities into the future."

Australia A four-day squad

Brendan Doggett, Jack Edwards, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Liam Hatcher, Campbell Kellaway, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Fergus O'Neill, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Corey Rocchiccioli, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott

Australia A one-day squad

Mahli Beardman, Nikhil Chaudhary, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Aaron Hardie, Spencer Johnson, Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney, Todd Murphy, Mitch Owen, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha, Liam Scott, Lachlan Shaw