Naman Ojha dropped from India A squad for quadrangular series in Australia

Naman Ojha, the wicketkeeper-batsman who was supposed to lead India A in the quadrangular series in Australia, has been replaced by Manish Pandey, on Tuesday (August 2). According a report in The New India Express, Ojha has been dropped from the squad and will travel to Australia only in September for the four-day games.

Shahbaz Nadeem, Vijay Shankar and Akhil Herwadkar are the other players who will not travel Down Under for the limited-overs series. Yuzvendra Chahal, Mandeep Singh and Hardik Pandya will replace the troika. Pandey will lead the squad in the limited-overs leg while Ojha will take over during the four-day games.

"Selectors have made four changes in the team (India A) and now I will go only for the four-day matches. Mera naam hatake unhone four changes kiya hai (they've removed me and made four changes), I was told two days ago," Ojha told the English daily.

All four players who have been dropped, were part of the India A strength and conditioning camp at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore earlier this month.

The team is scheduled to leave for Australia on August 4 while Rahul Dravid, the India A coach, will leave five days after the team lands there. Dravid is going to spend some time with his ailing mother.

India A are scheduled to face Australia A, South Africa A and Cricket Australia National Performance Squad in the quadrangular series, starting on August 13, before playing two four-day games against Australia A in Brisbane, one of which will be played under lights, from September 8.

Squad for limited-overs series: Manish Pandey, Faiz Fazal, Mandeep Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Karun Nair, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat, Barinder Sran, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sanju Samson.