BCCI Announces India A Squad for Upcoming England Tour

The BCCI has finally unveiled India A’s squad for their upcoming tour of England, and it’s packed with surprises, returns, and a lot of promise. The team will play two first-class matches against England Lions—one at Canterbury starting May 30 and the next in Northampton on July 6. The tour wraps up with an intra-squad match in Beckenham from June 16, where India A will go head-to-head with the senior team.

One of the biggest stories in the squad is the return of Karun Nair. The right-hander, who last played a Test for India in 2017, has earned a call-up after a strong domestic season with Ranji champions Vidarbha. With the team on the lookout for someone to potentially take over the No. 4 slot after Virat Kohli’s retirement, Nair could well be in that conversation. Also back in the mix is Shardul Thakur, another domestic performer who’s shown he can deliver in English conditions—he’s played four Tests there, scored handy runs, and picked up 10 wickets. 

Leading the side will be Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was part of the Test squad in Australia earlier this year. He’ll have Dhruv Jurel as his deputy. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, currently focused on the IPL, are set to join the squad ahead of the second four-dayer. Familiar names like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akash Deep, Sarfaraz Khan, Harshit Rana, and Tanush Kotian—all part of the squad that went to Australia—have been retained. Kotian, notably, was brought in for the last two Tests in that series after R. Ashwin’s sudden retirement and is being groomed as a possible successor in the spin department. 

The spin attack will be handled by Kotian, Manav Suthar, and Harsh Dubey. A notable addition to the bowling unit is Anshul Kamboj, who’s earned his maiden India A call-up. With both experienced campaigners and exciting youngsters, the squad seems like a mix of the present and the future. 

This tour isn’t just a set of warm-up games—it’s shaping up to be a key audition for several players hoping to break into the senior Test side. All eyes will be on how they handle the English conditions, especially with big changes looming in the Indian red-ball setup. 

India A squad for England tour:

Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (VC) (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan (WK), Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Harsh Dubey

Note - Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan will join the squad ahead of the second match.

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