South Africa A will take on India A from Tuesday in the first of three four-day matches at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein.
The SA A squad features a mixture of experienced and emerging talents, with in-form players from the domestic scene given an opportunity to stake their claim for Proteas selection.
“As a side, our No 1 priority is to win,” said SA A captain Pieter Malan. “At an individual level, that means putting in performances that will help move the team forward and hopefully we can achieve that on the field.
“The selectors have put together a strong squad with a lot of experience, so I am excited to see the guys give it a go. It’s a good opportunity, we are in the middle of our season, so the guys have plenty of overs in their legs and time in the middle.
“It is always exciting playing against a quality side like India A, so hopefully we can match up well against them and win cricket matches.”
India A skipper Priyank Panchal believes his team, which includes Delhi Capitals opening batter Prithvi Shaw and Mumbai Indians spinner Rahul Chahar, is well balanced.
“Following our processes correctly will get us the best results,” he added. “It is definitely going to be an exciting tour for all of us. We have prepared very well, and we are looking forward to the series.”
South Africa A squad: Pieter Malan (c, Rocks), Sarel Erwee (Dolphins), Edward Moore (Warriors), Raynard van Tonder (Knights), Sinethemba Qeshile (Warriors), Senuran Muthusamy (Dragons), Marco Jansen (Warriors), Migael Pretorius (Knights), Beuran Hendricks (WP), Lutho Sipamla (Lions), Glenton Stuurman (Warriors), George Linde (WP), Jason Smith (Dolphins), Tony de Zorzi (WP).
India A squad: Priyank Panchal (c), Prithvi Shaw, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan, Baba Aparajith, Upendra Yadav, K Gowtham, Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Umran Malik, Ishan Porel, Arzan Nagwaswalla.
Four-day series schedule:
1st match – 23-26 November, Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
2nd match – 29 November-2 December, Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
3rd match – 6-9 December, Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
