The BCCI announced the India A squad for the upcoming first-class Test series against Australia A which is set to commence from October 31.
Undoubtedly, the biggest surprise in the 15-member squad was the inclusion of wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan. Kishan, who lost his BCCI central contract earlier this year due to concerns about his focus on the Indian Premier League (IPL) over domestic cricket is set to mark a return to the India A set-up.
Kishan has been given this opportunity after his recent fiery knocks in domestic tournaments. He scored a century each in the Buchi Babu tournament, Duleep Trophy and Ranji Trophy while playing for his state team, Jharkhand.
His last appearance for the Indian team came back in 2023 when the Men in Blue toured South Africa. Reports indicated that he took a personal break, a decision that did not sit well with the BCCI.
“The Men’s Selection Committee has picked a 15-member India A squad for the upcoming tour of Australia. India A will play two first-class matches against Australia A in Mackay and Melbourne respectively and then take part in a three-day intra-squad game against Team India (Senior Men) in Perth” said BCCI in a release.
The India A side will be led by batter Ruturaj Gaikwad while Abhimanyu Easwaran has been chosen as the vice-captain. One of the most significant omissions from the squad was speedster Mayank Yadav, who many anticipated would be included after an impressive debut in India’s recently-concluded T20I series against Bangladesh. Instead, the selectors opted for pacers Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Yash Dayal, and Navdeep Saini.
India A squad for Australia series: 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, Tanush Kotian
