Who will coach India A team for unofficial test tour of England?

India A will play two FC matches against England Lions and one intra-squad game against India seniors.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Friday, May 16, 2025, announced the 18-member India A squad that will travel to England soon. Abhimanyu Easwaran was named the captain of the India A side, with Dhruv Jurel named his deputy.

The India A squad will play two First Class (FC) matches against the England Lions at Canterbury and Northampton and a match against Team India (Senior Men).

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Sarfaraz Khan, and Karun Nair were the big names included in the India A side. The board also confirmed that Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan will join the India A squad before the second game.

There are other fast-bowling alternatives on the India A team as well. The following players will accompany all-arounders Shardul Thakur and Nitish Kumar Reddy: Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Tushar Deshpande, and Mukesh Kumar. 

Off-spinner Tanush Kotian and left-arm spinners Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey are the spin-bowling possibilities. Recently, Dubey was named the Ranji Trophy season’s Player of the Tournament.

Hrishikesh Kanitkar to be India A coach on England tour

It has also been reported by the Times of India journalist Gorav Gupta that Hrishikesh Kanitkar will be the head coach of the India A side on their tour of England. Veteran Maharashtra cricketer Hrishikesh Kanitkar has extensive coaching expertise and has represented India in two test matches and 34 One-Day Internationals.

When the Indian women’s team won a gold medal in the 2022 Asian Games, Hrishikesh Kanitkar was their coach. He also coached the state teams of Tamil Nadu and Goa.

Kanitkar was a well-known right-arm off-spinner and left-handed hitter. His iconic boundary during a frantic run-chase against Pakistan in the 1998 Independence Cup Final made him a household name.  

He represented Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra in domestic cricket. During his remarkable career, he hit 33 hundreds and amassed 10400 runs at an average of 52 in FC cricket. He was also a renowned captain who won the Ranji Trophy.

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