Abhimanyu Easwaran Named Captain as India A Squad Announced with Test Regulars

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian cricket team selection committee have today announced the India A squad for the tour of England. The team will be led by Abhimanyu Easwaran with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan set to feature in the team.

Ahead of the Indian senior men’s cricket team’s 5-match Test series vs England commencing from 20 June, India A will take on the England Lions in 1 first-class matches and will also play an intra-squad match against the Indian senior team once announced.

Veteran first-class cricketer Abhimanyu Easwaran will be leading the India A side throughout the tour. Wicketkeeper batter Dhruv Jurel has been named his deputy.

The side also includes multiple Test team regulars like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana. Shubman Gill, who is likely to be named next India Test captain after Rohit Sharma’s retirement, will also join the team from 2nd match onwards with Sai Sudharsan.

Karun Nair, who had a stellar season scoring 863 runs in 16 innings in the Ranji Trophy 2024-2025 season, has also been included in the team. Tanush Kotian, who is hailed as the next Ravichandran Ashwin for India, has also found a place in the team.

Shardul Thakur has also found a place in the team on the back of his domestic performance. Nitish Kumar Reddy, Manav Suthar, Harsh Dubey are the other recognised all-rounders in the team.

To bolster the bowling attack, the side also features the likes of Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, and Tushar Deshpande alongside the above-mentioned names. Everyone will be hoping to make an impact with their performance and look to find a place in the senior team.

On the other hand, while Ishan Kishan has found a place in the team, Shreyas Iyer, who has been enjoying a great form off-late in domestic cricket and the IPL, has not found a place in the squad. Could he be part of the senior team directly, or is he not part of the plan? Questions will certainly be asked.

The thought process behind the inclusion of several of the Test regulars is clear to help the players acclimatize to the English conditions. This will be important for the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana who are almost likely to find a place in the senior team.

India A Squad for England Tour

Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (VC) (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan (WK), Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Harsh Dubey.

• Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan to join from the 2nd match onwards.

Team India will play a total of 2 first-class matches against the England Lions. The 3rd match of the tour will be an intra-squad match between India senior team and the India A team. Below is the schedule for the tour.