Indian selectors have failed to understand the true meaning of 'A' tours

With a resounding 50-run victory in the final of the triangular 50-over series against Australia A, India A finished the limited overs leg of their tour of South Africa on a high. 

It is interesting to note that from the 16-man squad led by Cheteshwar Pujara, as many as ten members were part of the Indian team that swept Zimbabawe 5-0 in the recent series. The remaining six were part of a short camp at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore before departing for the Rainbow Nation on August 3.

In fact most of the batsman in the playing eleven have been an integral part of the senior side in recent months. Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have opened the batting for India since the ICC Champions Trophy 2013. Dinesh Karthik and Suresh Raina have also been fixtures in the side. Only Cheteshwar Pujara and Ambati Rayudu are yet to get an extended run in the senior one-day team. Thus, India A was relatively stronger when compared to the batting units of their opponents.

What one needs to realize is, that the very purpose of conducting 'A' tours is to give international exposure to players who have been consistently knocking on the selectors' doors for quite a while. 

For long, 'A' tours have provided a good opportunity for fringe players to earn a berth in the senior team. Players who are in and out of the team, coming off of an injury or those who have done extremely well in the domestic circuit, in other words those who are not regulars in the team, are basically the intended beneficiaries of such tours. 

With the current tour being wrongly labelled as an audition of sorts for several members of the 16-man squad considering India will travel to South Africa in November for a full series against the hosts, the sole purpose of testing India's bench strength has been defeated.

Yes, all this while Dhawan smashed his way to the record books with a breathtaking 248-run knock. But if we take a moment to pause and think that if Dhawan would have managed 200 runs less than that in the innings and scored 48 runs, won't he still have been opening the batting for the senior side, considering his past exploits?

Similar is the case with Rohit Sharma. Having yet again flattered to deceive, without converting any of his three fifties in the series, Sharma seems yet again being easily satisfied. Irrespective of the scores, it's a no-brainer that he will be seen partnering Dhawan at the top of the order for the national team.

Instead of putting pressure on these openers, selectors lost a golden opportunity in trying out other openers in the fray, notably Ajinkya Rahane and Murali Vijay, thereby robbing them of opportunities to stake a claim for a place in the national team.

The true essence of an 'A' tour would have come to the fore when players like Sharma and Raina who are yet to establish themselves in the longer version of the game, taken part only in the second leg of the series. The First-Class matches against South Africa A provide a chance to prove themselves and push for a berth in the touring party, come November.

They may not get a game on the big tour, but may be in the fray for the later series. After all, Sachin Tendulkar's retirement is around the corner and his exit would leave a gaping hole at No. 4. Even if Virat Kohli is promoted to that spot, No. 5 would still be up for grabs.

With the Sandeep Patil led selection committee seemingly unable to comprehend the true meaning of 'A' tours, hopefully that's something Indian cricket doesn't regret in the future.