India A’s new squad for the upcoming two multi-day games against Australia A in Lucknow has brought in a fresh set of faces, while also leaving out some who were part of the earlier tour of England. The reshuffle reflects not only form and fitness but also the selectors’ intent to provide opportunities to a wider pool of players.Shreyas Iyer, left out of the Asia Cup squad and not even considered among the reserves, has been handed the captaincy. It marks a chance for him to find rhythm in longer-format cricket after a difficult run. Dhruv Jurel, who featured in the fifth Test at The Oval, remains in the setup and has been named Iyer’s deputy.KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj will join only for the second match, providing both experience and quality ahead of India’s home Tests against the West Indies and South Africa. Rahul was India’s second-highest scorer in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, while Siraj finished as the leading wicket-taker.
India A squad :
Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran, N Jagadeesan (WK), Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (VC & WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Manav Suthar, Yash Thakur Among the newcomers, Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan has been rewarded after being a cover during the England Tests and backing it up with a marathon 197 in the Duleep Trophy semifinal. Delhi skipper Ayush Badoni also earns his maiden call-up along with Punjab’s Gurnoor Brar. Vidarbha’s Harsh Dubey and Yash Thakur are included as well. For Dubey, this is a continuation, having also featured in the earlier England tour squad. His 69 wickets in the Ranji Trophy title run last season was a record-breaking effort. From the previous England tour squad, big names like Karun Nair, Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj and Tushar Deshpande are missing. Karun’s absence was expected after the injury he suffered at The Oval. Sarfaraz Khan, too is unavailable, sidelined with a quadriceps injury that also ruled him out of the Duleep Trophy. On the other hand, the selectors have retained Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Manav Suthar, and Tanush Kotian. For Reddy, this is a comeback from a knee injury suffered during India’s England tour. The bowling group now features Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, and Gurnoor Brar alongside Thakur. The first four-day game will be played from September 16-19, followed by the second from September 23-26 at the Ekana Stadium.