Mumbai: Dhruv Jurel will captain a 15-member India A squad for the multi-day leg of the New Zealand tour, the BCCI announced on Tuesday, with the party set to play three unofficial Tests between October 24 and November 10.
The squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Smaran R, Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel (c), Washington Sundar (subject to fitness), Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod, Mukesh Kumar.
The three multi-day games begin on October 24 at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln, and are designed to give India’s red-ball contenders valuable time in New Zealand conditions ahead of the two-match Test series in late November.
Jurel leads, seniors to feature
Jurel’s appointment as captain is a clear vote of confidence in the young wicketkeeper-batter, who has impressed in India’s recent Test assignments with his composure behind the stumps and gritty lower-order runs. Leading an A side on a tough away tour is the next step in his fast-tracked development.
Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal are all expected to play at least one of the A games as they build towards the Test series, using the fixtures to acclimatise to the swing and seam movement that New Zealand’s early-summer pitches traditionally offer.
The presence of so many senior names underlines how seriously India are taking this preparation block — there will be no easing into the tour.
Audition for the Test squad
The A tour doubles as a selection trial for the senior Test squad, with the committee expected to name the touring party shortly. Ishan Kishan’s name is firmly in the red-ball conversation after his Duleep Trophy heroics, though the overlap with white-ball commitments complicates his availability for the A games.
For the likes of Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar and Auqib Nabi, the three games are a golden chance to push their case with the red ball in conditions that will test every aspect of their craft — seam position, patience and the ability to bowl long spells.
The tour party will be supported by the full backroom staff, with training sessions planned around the three fixtures to maximise preparation time in local conditions.
The selectors will have full fitness inputs from the Centre of Excellence as they finalise the Test squad, with no repeat of the availability confusion that has marred recent selections. With New Zealand’s pitches offering movement throughout, the A series could shape more than one career.
