Travis Head will lead the one-day team, while Mitchell Marsh has been named the captain of the four-day team, when Australia A tour India for a triangular one-day series, also involving South Africa A, and a series of two four-day matches against India A.
The squads – Alex Carey is the vice-captain and first-choice wicket-keeper in both – have a fair sprinkling of Australia internationals and, apart from Carey and Head, Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Michael Neser, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Chris Tremain feature in both line-ups.
Just six of the players across the two sides have never played international cricket: Marnus Labuschagne, Jack Wildermuth, Brendan Doggett, Swepson, Kurtis Patterson and Neser, who earned a maiden national call-up on Tuesday as Josh Hazlewood’s replacement for the limited-overs tour of England.
“We’re really pleased with the squads we have assembled for this tour,” Trevor Hohns, the National Selector, said. “We’ve got a couple of really experienced international cricketers, a large group who have had a taste of playing for Australia already, and some emerging players who have performed strongly and we believe have the potential to one day play for their country.
“It’s an extremely important tour, as we look for players who can adapt and find ways to excel in sub-continent conditions. With Australia’s series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates fast approaching, it’s a chance for some players to push for selection for that series, and for all players to gain experience in sub-continent conditions.”
Of the players selected, Queenslanders Brendan Doggett, a pace bowler, and Labuschagne, the top-order batsman, are the only ones to have never featured even in an ‘A’ squad.
“Brendan is an exciting fast bowler with genuine pace, who has impressed with his wicket-taking ability in the Sheffield Shield. Marnus has put together some really good performances with the bat over the past 12 months, particularly at one-day level,” pointed out Hohns.
On the leadership group for the tour, a point of interest keeping in mind events in Australian cricket since the events in Cape Town earlier this year, Hohns said, “We’re looking for leaders for future Australian teams, and Travis, Mitch and Alex are all very impressive young men.
“Travis and Mitch both have captaincy experience at state level, and this is an exciting opportunity for them to lead a new group of players in different conditions. Alex, as our Twenty20 vice-captain in the UK and Zimbabwe, is also someone we rate very highly as a leader, and this is another opportunity for him to develop those skills.”