Deodhar Trophy: It’s Umesh Yadav vs Mohammed Shami as India A take on India B

The battle to remain relevant in India’s limited overs scheme of things will be foremost on Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav’s minds when India A take on India B in the opening game of the Deodhar Trophy in Dharamsala on Sunday.

Having slipped in the pecking order as far as ODIs are concerned, both Umesh and Shami will like to use the opportunity to stake claim for the third and fourth pacers’ slot in the national team that is still up for grabs, keeping the World Cup in mind. While Umesh was not in the ODI squad during the South Africa tour, the team management preferred Shardul Thakur to Shami during the last ODI.

With Ravichandran Ashwin ruling himself out of the tournament due to a niggle, India A, led by Maharashtra batsman Ankit Bawne, look like an intimidating outfit with all top domestic and junior cricket performers in their ranks.

The India A team has Under-19 World Cup stars Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw in their ranks along with hard-hitting IPL specialists like Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav. Unmukt Chand, after a fine Vijay Hazare Trophy, is expected to open the batting with Prithvi.

Even in the bowling department, the India A …read more