Senior team vice-captain KL Rahul, his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal, and No. 3 batter Devdutt Padikkal are among 11 Test players picked in the 15-member India A squad that will play three unofficial Tests against New Zealand A starting October 24. However, the short BCCI press release didn’t clarify how many of the three ‘Tests’ the likes of Rahul, Jaiswal and Washington Sundar, who are also part of India’s ODI set-up, will play in New Zealand. The first ‘Test’ will be played from October 24 to 28 in Lincoln, followed by the second game in Christchurch from October 31 to November 3. The last ‘Test’, again in Lincoln, will be held from November 7 to 10.
The first three ODIs against New Zealand will be held on November 4, 7 and 10. So, it is nearly impossible for Rahul, Washington and Jaiswal to be available for all the ‘A’ Tests.
The squad also features Rishabh Pant, whose participation is subject to fitness, along with his Test understudy Dhruv Jurel, reserve opener Sai Sudharsan and left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, who are expected to be part of the senior side during the two Tests that are part of the World Test Championship.
Apart from these eight, there are three more capped Test players in pacers Anshul Kamboj, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar.
Akash is set to be part of the Test team, and the ‘A’ Tests will give him miles in his legs, while Mukesh Kumar comes back into national reckoning after a fiery spell in the Irani Cup final. If international caps are considered, then the number swells to 12 with the presence of Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi.
The only three uncapped players in the side are prolific domestic run-machine Ravichandran Smaran, Vidarbha batter Yash Rathod and left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary.
India A squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Rishabh Pant* (WK), Dhruv Jurel (C & WK), Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
CWG 2026 Weightlifting Gold Medallist, Mirabai Chanu Get Hero’s Welcome in Delhi
Topics mentioned in this article
