Shreyas Iyer to lead India A against Australia A: Details
What's the story
Shreyas Iyer has been named the captain of India A for two upcoming unofficial Tests against Australia A. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the development on Saturday. The matches will take place at Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, starting September 16 and September 23, respectively. This comes after Iyer's recent exclusion from India's T20 Asia Cup squad despite his stellar performance in the IPL.
Career trajectory
Iyer's stellar IPL campaign and Asia Cup snub
Iyer led Punjab Kings to their first IPL final in 11 years, scoring over 600 runs at a strike rate of 175. Despite his stellar form, he was left out of the Asia Cup squad by the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar. However, reports suggest that Iyer is being considered as a potential successor to Rohit Sharma as India's next ODI captain.
Team composition
Other players in India A squad
Iyer, who has been out of the Indian Test team for some time, will lead India A in these matches against Australia A. His performance could pave the way for his return to the Test side in upcoming home series against West Indies and South Africa. The India A squad also includes Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel (VC & WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Khaleel Ahmed among others.
Squad update
Rahul, Siraj to join India A for 2nd match
KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj will join the India A squad for the second match against Australia A. They will replace two players in the squad. This move comes as both players look to regain their rhythm ahead of a demanding home season starting October 2. Neither Siraj nor Rahul are part of India's Asia Cup squad, having been rested after a five-match series against England that ended in a draw (2-2).
Information
Here is the squad
India A squad for two multi-day matches against Australia A: Squad: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran, N Jagadeesan (WK), Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel (VC & WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Manav Suthar, Yash Thakur