The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced India A’s squad for the four-day matches against New Zealand A. Priyank Panchal was named as the captain of the side. There were some obvious names like Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar, and Sarfaraz Khan, there were some young faces in the form of Umran Malik and Yash Dayal. 

All these players were rewarded for their good runs in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy season. However, Saurasthra’s Sheldon Jackson failed to make the cut. Jackson had a decent season having scored over 300 runs (311 to be precise) in five innings at an average of 78.25. The wicketkeeper batter also scored four half-centuries in five innings. Jackson’s strike rate was also great (78.64). But he could not find a place in the squad and it’s believed that he was left out considering the age factor. 

But the Saurashtra cricketer does not find it to be a valid reason to overlook his consistency. Jackson took a direct dig at the selectors as he tweeted that he is tired of hearing that he is a good player but is old. 

“I have a right to believe and dream that if i have performed for 3 continuous season, i may get picked on the basis of my performances not age, tired of hearing this that im a good player and performer but im old🤣, im 35 not 75,” tweeted Jackson after the snub. 

Notably, New Zealand A will tour India for three four-day matches and as many one-day games. The red-ball matches will be held in Bengaluru and Hubli. Squads for the white-ball games to be played in Chennai will be announced later. 

India A squad for four-day matches: Priyank Panchal (Captain), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraaz Khan, Tilak Varma, KS Bharat (wk), Upendra Yadav (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Saurabh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Umran Malik, Mukesh Kumar, Yash Dayal, Arzan Nagwaswalla