Big Breaking! Shreyas Iyer Appointed Captain for Australia Matches
Shreyas Iyer to lead India A against Australia A in two multi-day matches after Asia Cup snub. Series begins September 16 in Lucknow.
Shreyas Iyer will lead India A in two upcoming multi-day matches against Australia A, the BCCI announced on Saturday.
The right-handed batter, who also captains Punjab Kings in the IPL, was left out of the Asia Cup squad but has now been handed a leadership role.
Reports earlier this week suggested that Shreyas could replace Rohit Sharma as the next ODI captain.
A Dainik Jagran report claimed that the selectors are considering him for the role soon, while other reports mentioned Shubman Gill as another contender.
The decision to exclude Shreyas from the Asia Cup squad had drawn criticism. He had scored more than 600 runs at a strike rate of 175 in the IPL and led Punjab Kings to their first final in 11 years.
Shreyas has not featured in the Test side since 2024. Leading India A against Australia A could boost his chances of making the squad for the upcoming home series against West Indies and South Africa.
Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair had failed to make an impact in the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy against England. Sudharsan is part of the India A squad, while Nair has been left out.
The series begins on September 16 in Lucknow. The second unofficial Test will be played from September 23. Both teams will also play three ODIs, with squads for those games yet to be announced.
KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj will join the India A squad for the second match. They will replace two players, though details have not been revealed.
Both players were given rest after the five-match series against England and are not part of the Asia Cup squad. Their inclusion will help them prepare for the home season starting October 2.
The India A squad also features Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Khaleel Ahmed.
Ayush Badoni has earned a place after a strong domestic season. Prasidh Krishna has also been named and is expected to be part of the Test squad against West Indies.
India A squad for two multi-day matches against Australia A:
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
