Sports: India A squad led by Ruturaj Gaikwad will face Australia in the first of the two-match unofficial Test series starting October 31. This is a huge series for players like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Nitish Reddy who have also been picked in India's senior squad for the upcoming tour of Australia.

Moreover, the performances in this series will be taken into consideration if one of the players gets injured in the lead-up to or midway through the series. The focus will also be on skipper Ruturaj who has been around for quite some time now, especially in white-ball formats. Ishan Kishan is also making his red-ball comeback into the India A squad while fast bowlers Khaleel Ahmed, Navdeep Saini and Mukesh Kumar will be eager to impress the selectors.

Meanwhile, this series is also crucial for some of the Australia A players as the batters are auditioning for the opening slot left vacant by David Warner in the senior team. Sam Konstas, Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris are in contention while captain McSweeney is also ready to open for his country (he bats at number three in domestic cricket) if he gets a chance following impressive knocks at the start of the Sheffield Shield season.

Fans will get to witness some enthralling action in this series before the senior teams lock horns on November 22 in the first of the five-match Test series in Perth.

Here's all you need to know about India A tour of Australia

Schedule

October 31 to November 3 - 1st Unofficial Test: Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay at 5:30 AM IST

November 7 to November 10 - 2nd Unofficial Test: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne at 5 AM IST

Squads

India A - Sai Sudharsan, Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Nitish Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Baba Indrajith, Abishek Porel, Ishan Kishan, Yash Dayal, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Navdeep Saini.

Australia A - Marcus Harris, Sam Konstas, Oliver Davies, Cooper Connolly, Beau Webster, Nathan McSweeney (C), Fergus O Neill, Michael Neser, Cameron Bancroft, Jimmy Peirson, Josh Philippe, Scott Boland, Todd Murphy, Jordan Buckingham, Todd Murphy, Nathan McAndrew, Mark Steketee, Corey Rocchiccioli

Live Telecast and Streaming

There is no live telecast of this match in India. The match will be live on cricket.com.au. The highlights of the day's play will also be available later.