The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the India A squad for two red-ball matches against Australia A in September, handing Shreyas Iyer the captaincy in what many consider a surprising decision. The fixtures are scheduled for 16 and 23 September in Lucknow. Vice-captaincy duties will fall to Dhruv Jurel, while experienced names such as B Sai Sudharsan, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Prasidh Krishna have also been included.

For the second match, the selectors decided to bolster the squad by bringing in experienced campaigners KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj.

The assignment signals Iyer’s return to the longer format, even if it is not at full international level. With India set to play a two-Test series against West Indies in early October, these matches could provide him with a vital chance to push for selection in the senior squad.

Several domestic standouts have also earned call-ups. Ayush Badoni, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, N Jagadeesan Harsh Dubey, and Gurnoor Brar will all get opportunities to showcase their ability at this level.

After the two multi-day encounters, both teams will move to Kanpur for a three-match one-day series on 30 September, 3 October and 5 October.

Notably, Sarfaraz Khan has been left out as he recovers from injury.

Squad: N Jagadeesan (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jureel (VC & WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Gurnor Brar, Khaleel Amed, Ayush Badoni, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Yash Thakur