Mumbai: After being left out of India’s 15-member squad for the Asia Cup, Shreyas Iyer has been appointed captain of India A for the two upcoming multi-day matches against Australia A, with wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel named his deputy.
Shreyas’ exclusion from the Asia Cup squad sparked criticism from fans and former cricketers, especially as he was not even included in the travelling reserves. Now, he will lead India A in two multi-day fixtures in Lucknow, followed by three one-day matches scheduled for September 30, October 3, and October 5 in Kanpur.
The series begins on September 16, with the second multi-day match set for September 23. KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj will join the squad for the second multi-day game, replacing two players from the first match. Interestingly, both Siraj and Rahul were left out of the South Zone squad for the ongoing Duleep Trophy, raising a few eyebrows.
Jurel, the vice-captain, was originally slated to lead Central Zone but was ruled out, with Rajat Patidar taking over the leadership role. Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper N Jagadeesan, who recently replaced an injured Rishabh Pant for India’s fifth Test against England in London, has impressed with his performances.
On the second day of the first semi-final, Jagadeesan led South Zone’s batting attack against North Zone at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. He successfully countered the threats from Anshul Kamboj and in-form Auqib Nabi but was run out by Nishant Sandhu on 197 off 352 balls, narrowly missing out on a double century—echoing a similar near-miss in 2020 when he fell 17 short of the mark.
Sai Sudharsan, who made his Test debut during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, has been included in the 15-member squad. Abhimanyu Easwaran, who toured England with India but did not earn his maiden cap, led East Zone in the Duleep Trophy before their playoff exit.
Devdutt Padikkal contributed a steady 57 off 71 balls for South Zone in the semi-finals, while Nitish Kumar Reddy, sidelined during the England tour due to injury, has also been included.
The pace attack features Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, and Khaleel Ahmed. Tanush Kotian will lead the spin department, supported by Manav Suthar and Yash Thakur. Kotian impressed with a 76-run innings off 166 balls against West Zone in the semi-finals, while Khaleel has already claimed two wickets for Central Zone in 15 overs.
India A squad: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran, N Jagadeesan (WK), Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (VC & WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Manav Suthar, Yash Thakur.
