The white-ball job is done. Now comes the test of patience.
Home captain Yashbardhan Singh Chauhan and his deputy Lakshya Raichandani will be carrying the confidence from the one-dayers into the red-ball format. Lakshya, meanwhile, found his rhythm with an unbeaten century in the final match. The squad, too, has a slightly different look. Aaryavir Sehwag and Anvay Dravid are not part of the multi-day group.
After sweeping Australia 3-0 in the Youth ODI series, India under-19 switches formats when the two-match Youth Test series begins at the Niranjan Shah Stadium here on Sunday. Yashbardhan was among India’s most consistent performers in the 50-over series, signing off with a century after making a fifty earlier. Wicketkeeper-batters Manav Krishna and Abhipray Biswas are among the 15, while Manal Chauhan, Kushagra Ojha, Sagar Virk and Kush Patel add batting depth.
Match starts at 9.30 a.m. Australia, on the other hand, will be looking to bounce back. Its batters showed glimpses of resistance during the one-dayers, but India’s attack kept finding breakthroughs. The visiting team will now have more time to settle in and test its skills.