Puducherry gears up for hosting star-studded India A-Australia A multi-format games

Puducherry, Sep 19 (IANS) The coastal city of Puducherry is gearing up for a star-studded series when India A take on Australia A in two unofficial four-day red-ball matches, followed by three one-dayers to be played at the picturesque CAP-Siechem Stadium. Since becoming a full member of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2019, the Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP) has hosted under-19 international matches. But this will be its first time staging an entire A series, with notable international stars featured in both line-ups. The first unofficial Test will be played from September 22 to 25, while the second game will take place from September 29 to October 2. The three one-dayers will be held on October 6, 9 and 11 respectively. Both teams trained at the ground on Saturday. Peter Handscomb and Ashes-winning pacer Brendan Doggett, along with Jhye Richardson, headline a strong 15-man Australia A squad for the multi-day component, while Mahli Beardman and Spencer Johnson add considerable firepower to the squad picked for the subsequent 50-over games. Test batters, captain Devdutt Padikkal and Sai Sudharsan, who is returning from a right toe injury, feature in both formats for India A. Other capped players in the red-ball India A side include Tushar Deshpande and Anshul Kamboj, with Tripurana Vijay set to replace the injured Vijaykumar Vyshak in the line-up. In the run-up to the matches, India A had a preparatory camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. Star seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who has been out of action since IPL 2026 due to various injuries, has been picked for the limited-overs series, with his inclusion subject to fitness clearance. “This is a great opportunity for young Puducherry cricketers to witness live international cricket up close and draw inspiration from these players. The series is also a chance to showcase our world-class cricket facility to a global audience,” said P Damodaren, founder of the Cricket Association of Pondicherry, in a statement. Spectators can contact the CAP office for tickets, according to CEO Mayank Mehta. “The main stadium has a seating capacity of 5000, and we look forward to a considerable turnout,” he added. --IANS nr/vi