Dippenaar and Kaif square off at the Kotla

Two batsmen, out of favour with their respective national selectors, lead exciting teams in a series that kicks off with a four-day fixture at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. Mohammad Kaif and Boeta Dippenaar are contrasting batsmen but when they lead India A and South Africa A their goals will be the same - succeed and do their best to get back into national colours. This is a series with plenty at stake for aspirants and players returning from injury.

From an Indian perspective apart from Kaif, looking for every flicker of hope to break back into the national side, there are Suresh Raina, who missed out on nearly six months of competitive cricket because of a knee injury, and opener Aakash Chopra, who last played for India in October 2004. Chopra, who was a vital member of the Indian team which drew their away series with Australia in 2003-04, returns to national reckoning after consistent performances on the domestic circuit in the previous season and a century for the Marylebone Cricket Club against Sri Lanka A last month.

Speaking to Cricinfo, Raina said his immediate goal was to impress here and aim at the national side. "It's my first big chance after the injury and I'm really looking forward to this series."

Then there is Manoj Tiwary, the exciting Bengal batsman, recovering from a shoulder injury sustained early into the tour of Bangladesh with the ODI squad after the World Cup. Tiwary struggled initially in the nets but opened up against the spinners, hitting some lusty shots to indicate all was well with his shoulder. A troupe of Bengali scribes, who made the trip to Delhi, watched his every shot with intensity and reeled off his scores in recent corporate tournaments and the Moin-ud-Dowlah in Hyderabad.

Ishant Sharma, the local boy, who made his Test debut against Bangladesh earlier this year, could also benefit from a good bowling display here after disappointing in the warm-ups in England this summer. Sharma didn't bowl flat out in practice and, when asked about his chances of making the XI tomorrow, said it was up to the think tank.

While Chopra would be keen to keep his name on the selectors' minds for a tour of Australia at the end of the year, the other four would undoubtedly be looking at the seven-match home one-day series against the same side, which start later this month.

Paras Mhambrey, India's coach, did not see the absence of Irfan Pathan, on Twenty20 duty in South Africa, as a deterrent. Tamil Nadu's Yo Mahesh and Rajasthan's Pankaj Singh, Mambhrey said, were more than capable of "taking care of the load." "Both Pankaj and Yo Mahesh have done well on the tours," he said, adding that Tiwary, whom he coached at Bengal, seemed "in perfect shape now".

Mhambrey also believed that for those who had played for India, this match was crucial. "South Africa are a good side with a perfect blend of youth and experience. Every performance would count. If you score a century or take five wickets against them, it would brighten their chances of an India comeback."

Amit Mishra, the legspinner from Haryana, recalled to the A side after more than three years, and Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm spinner, bowled extended spells in the nets, an indication that India may bowl them in tandem. Kaif played and missed at his first three deliveries and was wary in the nets, while Parthiv Patel, essentially a distant No.3 in the pecking order for India's wicketkeeper, and Cheteshwar Pujara were far more aggressive.

Under Kaif, India routed both Zimbabwe and Kenya, where they triumphed in a triangular one-day series also featuring Sri Lanka A, but South Africa will provide far sterner opposition. Led by the experienced Dippenaar, the side includes Ashwell Prince, Charl Langeveldt, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and Robin Peterson, all with Test experience.

Langeveldt and Steyn have not been picked for the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 but have played international cricket recently. Prince, who controversially resigned as president of the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA) this week, enjoyed a successful season of Test cricket.

Like India, South Africa completed an easy sweep of Zimbabwe at home. The South African squad has, apart from the players just discussed - all either not required in the Twenty20 squad or dropped altogether - young aspirants such as Morne van Wyk, the aggressive opener, Alviro Peterson and Justing Ontong, each of whom has barely tasted international cricket. And then there are rookies such as Werner Coetsee, the Lions spinner, Rory Kleinveldt, the Cobras allrounder, and Yusuf Abdullah, the Dolphins left-arm seamer.

Van Wyk, who enjoyed success in Ireland over the summer, spent a long time alone on the pitch while his team-mates practised together. His assessment of the surface was similar to Mhambrey's, which was that there would be something for the fast bowlers early on, but later would ease out into a good batting track. "It looks like there's something in it for the seamers initially, but it should settle down nicely for the batsman," he said. "And I've been told by the curator that's it's the greenest in India."

For the likes of van Wyk, on his first tour of India, and players on both sides fighting to make it back to the highest level, this entire series is crucial.

India A (from): Mohammad Kaif (capt), Aakash Chopra, Cheteshwar Pujara, Manoj Tiwary, S Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel (wk), Ishant Sharma, Yo Mahesh, Pankaj Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Arjun Yadav, Ashraf Makda, Amit Mishra.

South Africa A (from): Morne van Wyk, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Boeta Dippenaar (capt), Hashim Amla, Justin Ontong, Ashwell Prince, Werner Coetsee, Dale Steyn, Thami Tsolekile, Friedel de Wet, Yusuf Abdullah, Rory Kleinveldt, Charl Langeveldt.