New Delhi: Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ishan Kishan are reportedly set to headline the India A squad for their first unofficial Test against England Lions, which gets underway on May 30. The India A team will travel to England ahead of India’s five-match Test series against the hosts, which gets underway on June 20. India A will play two unofficial Test matches against England Lions before the main tour.
The India A tour is of significant importance for the BCCI and the Indian team management after the retirements of Virat Kohli and former captain Rohit Sharma. The youngsters who will be part of the India A squad will be judged on their performances in the two unofficial Tests before a call is taken on their selection in India’s squad for the five-match series.
The first Test between India A and England Lions is scheduled to be played on May 30, but it might be pushed to a later date after the resumption of IPL 2025, which will now be concluded on June 03. As per a report in the Indian Express, Kishan and Jaiswal are set to be the two big names who will headline India A’s squad for the first unofficial Test against England Lions.
The report further states that the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel will pick a 14-member squad for the first unofficial Test, and the majority of the players will be from the teams that do not make it to the IPL 2025 playoffs. Jaiswal’s Rajasthan Royals and Kishan’s Sunrisers Hyderabad are both already out of the race for the playoffs.
The 14-man squad that will be selected will be on the flight to the UK by the end of this month. The likes of Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel, Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is an India A regular, Shardul Thakur, Khaleel Ahmed, Tanush Kotian, Anshul Kamboj and Akash Deep, among others, are in the fray to make the cut in the India A squad for the England tour.
Chance for Sudharsan, Nair to stake a claim; Rajat Patidar not in fray
Tamil Nadu batter Sai Sudharsan is expected to travel with the likes of Shubman Gill and Washington Sundar for India A’s second unofficial Test against England Lions. Sudharsan has impeccable technique and has shown immaculate maturity as a batter over the last few years. Many have tipped him to become a reliable batter for India in Tests.
Sudharsan will be hoping to grab his chance and impress for India to break into the Indian Test squad for the England series. Karun Nair, who has been in red-hot form of late, will also have a chance to continue his fine form for India A to stake a claim for a spot in the Indian Test team.
Meanwhile, Rajat Patdiar, who is leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the ongoing IPL 2025, is unlikely to feature in the India A squad for the England tour due to a finger injury. As per the report, Sarfaraz Khan is not part of the IPL 2025 but will not travel with the India A team. Sarfaraz will fly to England directly with India’s main squad next month.
The India A tour will be a chance for the likes of Nair, Sudharsan, Kishan and Easwaran, among others, to showcase their form in England and press for a spot in the Indian Test squad. It remains to be seen if the selectors would also want Shreyas Iyer on the flight to England with the India A team before the foivematch series to see if the in-form batter can slot into the middle order for India.