Shreyas Iyer named captain as BCCI announces India A squad for unofficial test series against Australia A

Shreyas Iyer will lead India A against Australia A in the upcoming two-match unofficial test series.

On Saturday, 6th September, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced 15-member India A squad for the upcoming two-match unofficial test series against Australia A. The announced squad saw star middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer named as captain.

India A are scheduled to host Australia A for two unofficial tests and three one-day games, starting on September 16 (Tuesday). Notably, Iyer was sidelined from India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad and was not even in the traveling reserves.

He also missed out on selection for India’s five-match away test tour of England earlier this year despite being in form across formats in the last year or so. Iyer also captained Punjab Kings (PBKS) to Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final, where they were defeated by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). However, the selection committee has now trusted him and given him the leadership role for the unofficial test series.

Shreyas Iyer to lead India A in two-match unofficial test series against Australia A

Notably, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee faced backlash over the exclusion of Iyer from the Asia Cup 2025 squad. Iyer has been in red-hot form and was India’s leading scorer in ICC Champions 2025 campaign. However, he will have a chance to make a point in the unofficial test series. If he does well, there are chances that he can be drafted into the Indian test squad for the home series against West Indies.

The two unofficial four-day tests against Australia A will begin on September 16. The second game will kick off on September 23. Both matches will be played at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Dhurv Jurel will assist Iyer as vice-captain of the side. Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, N. Jagadeesan, and Devdutt Padikkal are the key batters in the squad.

However, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rajat Patidar are the two big misses. Both batters have done well in the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2025-26. The BCCI also announced that star batter KL Rahul and pacer Mohammed Siraj will join the India A squad ahead of the second unofficial test and will feature in the game. However, the BCCI didn’t clarify which two players they will replace in the squad.

India A squad for two-match unofficial test series against Australia A

Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Dhruv Jurel (VC & WK), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sai Sudharsan, N. Jagadeesan (wk), Devdutt Padikkal. Harsh Dubey, Prasidh Krishna, Ayush Badoni, Nitish Kumar Reddy. Tanush Kotian, Gurnoor Brar, Khaleel Ahmed, Manav Suthar, Yash Thakur

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