Aussies to take on Tendulkar clone

Australia A will come up against strong Indian opposition on their tour of the subcontinent next month, including an 18-year-old batting prodigy who has already been compared to Sachin Tendulkar.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has announced the India A and India B squads for next month's one-day quad series in the city of Vijayawada that will also feature Australia A and South Africa A.

The India A side includes IPL stars like Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson and Krunal Pandya as well as teen sensation Prithvi Shaw, whose knock of 188 against West Indies A earlier this month with his sixth first-class century from just 12 matches.

Image Id: DD7E96F0E2394774A8F2E3254D5AC38D Image Caption: Shaw has six first-class hundreds from just 12 matches // Getty

Shaw captained India to the Under-19 World Cup title earlier this year and was also their leading run-scorer, but it's the way he scores his runs as much as his ability to post big scores that has earned him comparisons to the legendary Tendulkar.

"The first thing you notice is his technique, it's very similar to Sachin Tendulkar," former Australia batsman Mark Waugh said earlier this year.

"His grip, his stance, he stays very still at the crease and plays all his shots around the wicket. He plays the ball quite late and is quite punchy in his stroke play and has an excellent base to play any shot from any bowler.

"He's just so much like Sachin Tendulkar."

Shaw averages 57 at first-class level and broke through for his maiden List A centuries last month, scoring 132 in a tour match against English county side Leicestershire before notching 102 against West Indies A a week later.

Image Id: 1B75CA852FC14531B5D9A59CD05EC0BF Image Caption: Shaw on India A's recent tour of the UK // Getty

The bulk of the Indian players Australia will face next month are coming off a successful A tour of the UK, which included a one-day tri-series triumph and a first-class victory over West Indies A, although they were beaten heavily by a strong England Lions side in the final match of the tour.

India A will play two first-class against South Africa A in early August before the Aussies arrive for a quad series, which runs from August 17-29.

Australian selectors have also named a strong A squad for the one-day matches, with captain Travis Head one of seven players from Australia's recent ODI thrashing in England to make the A squad.

Following the one-day series, Australia A will take on India A in two four-day matches in Vizag, which loom as key selection trials ahead of Australia's Tests against Pakistan in the UAE in October.

Indian squads for one-day quad series

India 'A': Shreyas Iyer (c), Prithvi Shaw, R Samarth, Suryakumar Yadav, Hanuma Vihari, Nitish Rana, Siddhesh Lad, Sanju Samson (wk), Mayank Markande, K. Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Chahar, Md. Siraj, Shivam Mavi, Khaleel Ahmed

India 'B': Manish Pandey (c), Mayank Agarwal, A.R. Easwaran, Shubhman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Ricky Bhui, Vijay Shankar, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Gopal, Jayant Yadav, D.A. Jadeja, Siddarth Kaul, Prasidh Krishna, Kulwant Khejroliya, Navdeep Saini

Australia A Tour of India

Australia A one-day squad: Travis Head (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Joel Paris, Matthew Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain, Jack Wildermuth

Schedule

One-day fixtures in Vijayawada

17 August v India A

19 August v South Africa A

21 August v India B

23 August v India A

25 August v South Africa A

27 August v India B

29 August - Quad-Series Final

Australia A four-day squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Brendan Doggett, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Michael Neser, Joel Paris, Kurtis Patterson, Matthew Renshaw, Mitch Swepson, Chris Tremain

Four-day fixtures in Vizag

2-5 September v India A

8-11 September v India A