The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the India-A team for the two multi-day matches to be played against Australia-A. The biggest decision in this was to appoint Shreyas Iyer as the captain. For Shreyas Iyer, who has been out of red-ball cricket for a long time, this is considered a golden opportunity to make a comeback in the team and make a place in the senior team.
Matches will be held on 16 and 23 September
Two multi-day matches between India-A and Australia-A will be played from 16 and 23 September respectively. Both matches will be held in Lucknow. After this, three ODI matches will also be played, which will be held in Kanpur on 30 September, 3 October and 5 October.
Shreyas Iyer captain: Dhruv Jurel became the vice
The BCCI has combined many senior and young players in this team. Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhruv Jurel has been made the vice-captain of the team. At the same time, B. Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy and fast bowler Prasidh Krishna are also part of the team.
KL Rahul and Mohammad Siraj will join in the second match
The board has also made it clear that experienced batsman KL Rahul and star pacer Mohammad Siraj will be included in the team from the second multi-day match. This will further increase the strength of the team.
Opportunity to many young players
Many new faces who have performed brilliantly in domestic cricket have been given a chance for this series. This includes players like Ayush Badoni, Tanush Kotian, Harsh Dubey, Manav Suthar, N Jagadeesan and Gurnur Brar. Their selection is being considered a big opportunity for young players.
Sarfaraz Khan out due to injury
Sarfaraz Khan, who is consistently performing brilliantly in domestic cricket, could not join the team this time due to injury. At the same time, members of India’s white-ball team will not play in this series, as they will be busy in Asia Cup 2025 during the same time.
Opportunity for potential Test team
This series under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer is also considered important because India has to play a Test series against West Indies in early October. It is believed that based on the performance in India-A, Iyer and other players can get a place in the senior team.
Announced squad:
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhimanyu Easwaran, N Jagadeesan (wicketkeeper), Sai Sudarshan, Dhruv Jurel (vice-captain and wicketkeeper), Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnur Brar, Khalil Ahmed, Manav Suthar, Yash Thakur
What is India A?
India A is the second-tier national cricket team of India, also known as the developmental team. It consists of domestic players who are on the verge of selection in the national team or international players who are currently out of the team. Matches played by India A have first-class and List-A status. The team has participated in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy and other domestic tournaments and has also won the Duleep Trophy in 2024.
