On October 21, the BCCI announced the India A squad for their upcoming tour of Australia. The 15-member team will be led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, with Abhimanyu Easwaran as vice-captain. This tour is set to precede the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which starts on November 22. India A will first play two first-class matches against Australia, followed by an intra-squad game against the senior men’s team.
The squad includes Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran (VC), Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Baba Indrajith, Ishan Kishan (WK), Abishek Porel (WK), Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal, Navdeep Saini, Manav Suthar, and Tanush Kotian.
India A will kick off their tour with the first Test in Mackay from October 31 to November 3, followed by the second first-class match in Melbourne from November 7 to 10. They will then face India’s senior squad in an intra-squad game in Perth from November 15 to 17, providing key preparation for the Border-Gavaskar series.
Ishan Kishan returns to the India A squad after a period of absence, having missed action since the opening match of the 2023 World Cup. His selection follows a strong century in the Ranji Trophy, even though he is currently out of the central contract. On the other hand, Shreyas Iyer, who recently broke a three-year century drought in first-class cricket, is a notable omission from the squad.
Gaikwad’s appointment as captain is a well-earned move, having impressed with his leadership in the Ranji Trophy, the Irani Cup, and the Duleep Trophy.
Leave a Reply