Shreyas Iyer, one of India's most dependable middle-order batters, could be handed the responsibility of leading India A in the upcoming home series against
Australia A. While the 30-year-old narrowly missed out on selection for India's T20I squad in the 2025 Asia Cup, reports suggest that the Mumbai batter is set for a prominent role in the red-ball setup.
Australia A will arrive in India next week for a full tour featuring two four-day matches and three one-day games. The red-ball fixtures are scheduled at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, while the one-dayers will be hosted at Kanpur's Green Park Stadium.
Although the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to unveil the India A squad, Cricbuzz reported on Saturday that Iyer is "likely to get a prominent role in the side - captaincy or otherwise. " Notably, he was not considered for the red-ball series against the England Lions earlier this year but is currently in action for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy semifinal against Central Zone in Bengaluru.
Alongside Iyer, the selectors are expected to look at standout performers from the ongoing Duleep Trophy. All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, along with experienced top-order batters Abhimanyu Easwaran and B Sai Sudharsan, are among the names in contention. Easwaran, in particular, has prior experience captaining India A.
Narayan Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rajat Patidar could also come into the reckoning. Jagadeesan, who recently stepped in for Rishabh Pant in India's Test squad for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, hammered a superb 197 for South Zone against North Zone earlier this week. Gaikwad, representing West Zone, struck 184 in his semifinal outing against Central Zone. Patidar has also been in fine touch, making 125 and 66 in the quarterfinals and adding an unbeaten 47 in the semifinal on Friday evening.
While Gaikwad and Jagadeesan are yet to make their Test debuts, Patidar has already featured in three matches against England last year. With a blend of proven talent and rising stars, the upcoming India A vs Australia A series is shaping up to be an exciting platform for future Test hopefuls.
