The India A team has been announced ahead of the crucial five-match Test series against England. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed the squad on May 18th. This squad will play two first-class practice matches against England Lions.
Sports News: Following the conclusion of IPL 2025, Team India will tour England to play a five-match Test series. Prior to this important series, the India A team will play two four-day first-class matches against England Lions as preparation. The BCCI announced the India A squad on the evening of May 18th. Abhimanyu Easwaran will captain the team in these two encounters, with Dhruv Jurel serving as vice-captain.
Abhimanyu Easwaran to Captain
Young batsman Abhimanyu Easwaran has been appointed captain of the India A team. Under Easwaran's leadership, the team will play two four-day matches against England. Dhruv Jurel, who will act as the wicket-keeper batsman, has been named vice-captain. Easwaran and Jurel's leadership will provide the young players with an opportunity to showcase their best performance and prepare for the Test series.
Ishan Kishan and Shardul Thakur Return to the Team
Wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan, who was out of the Team India squad for some time, has made a comeback in the India A squad. Kishan had been absent for the past few months but has now been given another chance to prove himself. Similarly, fast bowler Shardul Thakur has also returned to the team after recovering from injury. If both players perform exceptionally well against England Lions in the practice matches, there is a possibility of their inclusion in the five-match Test series against England.
Karun Nair's Comeback
One of the biggest news items is the return of experienced batsman Karun Nair to the India A team. Karun last played a Test match for India in 2017 and has been absent from the team for a long time. He has performed brilliantly in domestic cricket, scoring over 1600 runs in first-class and List-A matches, including nine centuries. Notably, Karun scored 863 runs for Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 and scored a century in the final, strengthening the calls for his return.
Shubman Gill and Sai Sudarshan to Join Later
The BCCI has clarified that Shubman Gill and Sai Sudarshan will not participate in the first practice match due to their involvement in the IPL 2025 playoffs. These two Gujarat Titans players will join the team before the second match. Both Gill and Sudarshan are key young players in Team India, and everyone is keenly awaiting their return to the Test team.
The first practice match will be played from May 30th to June 2nd in Canterbury, while the second match will take place from June 6th to June 9th in Northampton. Following this, the India A team will also play an intra-squad match, further strengthening their preparations for the England tour. After this, the five-match Test series for Team India will commence.
India A Squad
Abhimanyu Easwaran (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (Vice-Captain & Wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Manav Suthar, Shams Mulani, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khalil Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande, and Harsh Dubey.
