Karun Nair and Ishan Kishan were picked in the India A team for the England tour, whereas the team would be captained by Abhimanyu Easwaran. The team also had Yashasvi Jaiswal, whereas Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan would be arriving before their second match. Dhruv Jurel was appointed as the vice-captain, whereas Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shardul Thakur were also picked in the team. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was injured and missed IPL 2025, and Sarfaraz Khan were also added.
Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan to Join India A Squad Later
Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan will be added to the team before the second match, as per the BCCI media release. The two games will be on May 30 and June 6.
India A will be playing two first-class games against the England Lions in Canterbury and Northampton. The tour will end with a game against Team India (Senior Men).
Karun Nair’s Impressive Form Amidst India A Tour Selection
Nair, who had hit a triple hundred against England in Chennai in December 2016, had 863 runs at 53.93 in Vidarbha’s Ranji Trophy-winning 2024/25 season and finished as the fourth-highest run-getter of the tournament.
He also played for Northamptonshire in the Division 1 County Championships during the previous two seasons. In 14 matches, he made 736 runs at a rate of 56.61, scoring two centuries and a top score of 202 not out.
Significance of Nair and Easwaran’s Performance
Nair and Easwaran’s show will be of great interest to the Indian team management and the Ajit Agarkar-headed selection committee, who are keen to plug the massive voids in the top-order batting after the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
The Other Test players in the India ‘A’ team are Dhruv Jurel, who has been named the vice-captain of the side, along with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, and Sarfaraz Khan, who was unavailable due to suffering a rib injury during the 2024/25 tour of Australia.
Uncapped Players Added to the Squad
Uncapped players such as Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Anshul Kamboj, Tushar Deshpande, and Harsh Dubey, top wicket-taker and Player of the Tournament in the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy, also get a spot. Khaleel Ahmed and Ruturaj Gaikwad, having represented India in white-ball matches, also join the party for the England tour.
India A team 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.
