Padikkal leads India A against a Test-capped Australia A side in Puducherry

India A open a two-match red-ball series against Australia A in Puducherry on Tuesday with Devdutt Padikkal leading and Sai Sudharsan back from injury

The first unofficial Test between India A and Australia A begins at the Cricket Association Pondicherry Siechem Ground on Tuesday morning, the opening fixture of a tour that runs to the middle of October.

Padikkal captains the red-ball side with Sai Sudharsan named vice-captain, and the two of them arrive with the same job in front of them: making the case for the Test number three spot before India play in New Zealand in November.

Australia A named their team two days out. Peter Handscomb leads a touring side that includes four players with Test caps, and the visitors have picked two frontline spinners for the conditions they expect.

Padikkal arrives in form

Padikkal made 167 off 230 balls in the Galle Test against Sri Lanka in August and followed it with 117 off 193 in Colombo, and was named player of the series.

He returned home to score 62 for South Zone against East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final at Chepauk.

The captaincy is new at this level but not unfamiliar. "Leadership is something that I really enjoy doing, especially starting off with Karnataka last year. It was a great learning curve for me," Padikkal said ahead of the series.

He added: "It's a great opportunity to be captain of India A. I'm looking forward to it."

A straight contest for number three

Sudharsan missed the Sri Lanka tour with a right toe injury and has been passed fit for the two multi-day games, which puts both candidates in the same batting order for four days at a time.

Padikkal filled the position in his absence and now keeps it under direct comparison, with the selectors watching two matches in Puducherry before a squad is settled for the Tests in New Zealand.

Padikkal was unwilling to frame it as a duel. "There's always been tough competition for spots in Indian cricket. It has never really come down and it's always going to be the same," he said. "It's important that we don't focus too much on that and just continue to enjoy my batting."

Australia A name their side early

Sam Konstas and Campbell Kellaway will open, with Nathan McSweeney at three, Handscomb at four and Jason Sangha at five. Josh Philippe keeps wicket.

The attack pairs Todd Murphy and Corey Rocchiccioli as the spin options with three seamers in Liam Scott, Fergus O'Neill and Brendan Doggett.

Jhye Richardson is in the touring party as a further fast-bowling option but misses the first match.

India A have not named an XI, but the capped pace of Tushar Deshpande and Anshul Kamboj is in the squad, with Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian the spin-bowling all-round cover and Kumar Kushagra and N Jagadeesan the two wicketkeepers.

Puducherry's first full A series

The fixture is the first complete A-team series the city has staged since the Cricket Association Puducherry became a full member of the BCCI in 2019. The ground holds about 5,000.

"This is a great opportunity for young Puducherry cricketers to witness live international cricket up close and draw inspiration," CAP founder P Damodaren said.

What the tour leads into

The second unofficial Test is at the same ground from 29 September, and three one-day games follow on 6, 9 and 11 October, with Ruturaj Gaikwad taking over as captain.

Hardik Pandya is named in that one-day squad subject to fitness clearance, having not played since the IPL earlier this year.

The red-ball leg also sits four months out from Australia's five-Test tour of India, which starts in January, giving several of the visiting batters a first extended look at Indian conditions before it.

Play in the first unofficial Test begins at 9.30am IST on Tuesday, with the second red-ball match to follow at the same venue a week later.

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