Kohli to play for India A in second unofficial Test against Australia A

Having announced India’s squad for the Sri Lanka Test series today, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) also said that India Test captain Virat Kohli will play for India A against Australia A in the second unofficial Test starting 29 July. Kohli wasn’t originally in the India A squad — led by Cheteshwar Pujara — but the BCCI stated that the Test captain had requested them to be included in the squad for the match in Chennai. [caption id=“attachment_2358752” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File picture of Virat Kohli. Reuters[/caption] This will allow good preparation for Kohli, who along with other senior players, had been rested for the Zimbabwe tour. Kohli did not have best of times in Bangladesh — he scored 14 in his only Test innings and averaged just 16.33 in the three-match ODI series. This will be a good way to prepare for the likes of Kohli and other members of India A who are a part of the squad travelling to Sri Lanka for the series starting 12 August. Just like they did for the Bangladesh tour, it still has to be seen whether the BCCI organises a camp for the entire squad before they leave for Sri Lanka. This allows the players to get into the groove after the break and gel together. The Sri Lanka tour starts with a three-day warm-up game against Sri Lanka Chairman’s XI, followed by three Test matches. The first Test will be played from 12-16 August, the second from 20-24 August and the last Test will be played 28 August to 1 September. The whole tour is nearly a month long — with India reaching Colombo on 3 August and returning home on 2 September. India A are currently playing the first unofficial Test against Australia A in Chennai with KL Rahul and Cheteshwar Pujara scoring fifties. Itinerary: August 12-16: 1st Test (Galle) August 20-24: 2nd Test (Colombo) ugust 28-31: 3rd Test (SSC, Colombo).