India's 'A' tours in need of a revival - BCCI need to act

Out of every dimension of cricket, you would say Test cricket has always been at the forefront, sharing the limelight, to some extent, with T20 cricket. Most of the previous decade has seen the rise of Indian cricket's treasured armoury of reserves growing simultaneously with India's exponential growth, especially in the longest format. 

While the IPL and Ranji have gotten their fair share of due, one thing that I believe no one can deny is the emergence of India's A tours providing the necessary exposure to fringe and mostly young emerging players coming through the circuit.

The rigours of Test cricket are well-known, and you can say that playing cricket in alien conditions has always been a far more significant challenge for the young recruits who have rarely managed to play in the harsh seaming conditions. India did something remarkable to counter that: A tours in different parts of the world, primarily before India's main series, and maybe here or there scattered throughout the year. At least they were playing and preparing before entering the international arena. They were given the prospect after toiling hard, copping the heat in Ranji and maybe Vijay Hazare Trophy. 

One big favour it did to the team was that the performing players were looked at for the marquee series. So, what do you think Siraj did to become the influential Test cricketer that he is today, cementing his place in whites for India? Well, probably the answer is that after getting smacked in T20 cricket, especially IPL, Siraj continued with his seam-up deliveries against the England Lions in 2018, delivering results with an eye on the Test team. Several others have made their way into the Indian team through the 'A' series. 

The BCCI, as reported, has recently adopted the policy of not playing the A tours during the domestic season; while it looks unlikely that the board will alter it, the BCCI has said that they do not want the quality of domestic cricket in the country to go down. The move could impact India's recent success with the red ball, winning twice in Australia and a drawn series in England. 

You can count two months for the IPL, probably six months for domestic cricket from September to March, and all you are left with is three months, i.e. June, July and August. With these three months available, India might be practically only playing in England for overseas tours, which means touring Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa will be out of the equation. 

The future lot most likely will be put up against the fierce pace bowling attacks of SENA countries without much prior experience in harsh conditions. India might be fielding untested cricketers on foreign soil, and the BCCI will have to offer better exposure to the untested recruits.